


White Water

by jlvsclrk



Category: Smallville
Genre: Action/Adventure, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-10-31
Updated: 2013-10-31
Packaged: 2017-12-31 01:07:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 35,395
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1025532
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jlvsclrk/pseuds/jlvsclrk
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Getting through white water requires training and timing – and a little help from your friends.</p><p>Author’s Note: This story is based on an alternative ending of Transference – Lionel is not cured of his liver disease and has a life expectancy of only a few months at that point.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

# White Water

  


**Rating** : mild PG for some scenes of violence  
 **Pairing** : Season 4 ensemble featuring Clark and Lex, with background Lana/Jason  
 **Genre** : Action  
 **Warnings** : None  
 **Summary** : Getting through white water requires training and timing – and a little help from your friends.

 **Author’s Note** : This story is based on an alternative ending of Transference – Lionel is not cured of his liver disease and has a life expectancy of only a few months at that point. See also the end notes.

Special thanks to [](http://nicnac918.livejournal.com/profile)[**nicnac918**](http://nicnac918.livejournal.com/) for the wonderful beta, as well as [](http://fruitbat00.livejournal.com/profile)[**fruitbat00**](http://fruitbat00.livejournal.com/) for help with the story outline.

[Artwork](http://ctbn60.livejournal.com/374388.html) by [](http://ctbn60.livejournal.com/profile)[**ctbn60**](http://ctbn60.livejournal.com/)

Created for the 2013 Smallville Big Bang [](http://smallvillebbang.livejournal.com/profile)[**smallvillebbang**](http://smallvillebbang.livejournal.com/)

#  Prologue

> [White water] is formed in a rapid, when a river's gradient increases enough to disturb its laminar flow and create turbulence, i.e. form a bubbly, or aerated and unstable current; the frothy water appears white… On any given rapid there can be a multitude of different features which arise from the interplay between the shape of the riverbed and the velocity of the water in the stream.  
>  – Wikipedia

**November 2004 (alternate ending to Bound[i] )**

The room was small and dingy, even by prison hospital standards. There was a sharp stink of ammonia, unsuccessfully masking other, even less appetizing odors. The lighting had an odd greenish hue, accentuating the jaundiced color of Lionel Luthor's face. The room was private though, an unexpected blessing.

Lionel coughed and winced in pain, but waved the nurse out of the room. He wanted no pain medication, not for this meeting. A few signs of physical weakness could be permitted, might even aid his cause, but there must be no doubt that he was in full command of his faculties. Lionel leaned back in the hospital bed and waited.

Abruptly, Lex Luthor strode into the room, his body language purposeful, arrogant, his face a frozen mask. But Lionel could, as always, see the telltale signs that revealed a complex mixture of emotions: wariness, anger, fear, and – deeply buried – concern. Despite everything, Lex still loved him. He had much to be grateful for.

Lex began angrily. "I understand you helped vindicate me, dad. There's just no telling the influence you seem to have from behind these bars."

Lionel sat up on the bed and spoke softly. "I pointed your friend, Clark, in the right direction, that's all I did. You still believe I had something to do with this, don't you?"

"No. I just assume you must want something in return."

"Yes." Lionel gave a brief laugh. "Yes, I do."

"I'm not helping you get released." Lex was implacable.

"I understand. I know that I deserve to be here, in this terrible place. I have no one to blame but myself." 

Lex sighed, and gave an exasperated laugh in return. "I'm in a generous mood, dad, so… Let's say I believe that." He sat in the chair by Lionel's bed and stared intently into Lionel's eyes. "What do you want from me?"

"I want to be your father, Lex. If you'll let me."

Lex was silent, considering. Lionel saw his chance and proceeded, "I don't ask for your forgiveness. I don't expect that. I killed your grandparents, and I tried to kill you. I've hurt many people because they were in my way. I had this… overwhelming need for power and status and now… it means nothing." He paused. "Son, I'm dying."

Softly, Lex replied, "I know."

"I'm dying and I've done everything in my power to keep you in the dark about what it all means."

"It?" Lex looked up, curiosity glittering from his eyes.

"It." Lionel waved his hands expansively. "The Kawatche Caves, the Stones of Knowledge, a secret society, a message from the stars, why we came to Smallville all those years ago – it's all connected. Your friend, Clark, is the key. Help him, Lex. Put aside the distrust I've instilled in you over all these years. Reach out. Let yourself believe in the goodness of others."

Lex twisted his lips in a half smile, half sneer. "That's a lot to be asking for, dad."

Lionel leaned back in the hospital bed with an exhausted sigh. "I understand your cynicism, son. And yet, I see things so much more clearly now. Clark is an extraordinary young man. So are you. I fear what may come to pass if… I see this darkness in you, Lex."

Lex stood up abruptly and walked away, obviously stung by the words. Lionel cried out, "Lex, please, stop. Listen, please. I only meant… I know you want to be a great man. I think you might even want to be a _good_ man. But it's not easy to be both, and I… I decided long ago that it wasn't worth trying." Uncharacteristically, Lionel fumbled for words. "But then… I tried using the stone, and even though I can't remember what happened… Something changed. _Everything_ changed."

"Everything except the part where you tried to kill me. Where you locked me in an asylum and sent 10,000 volts through my brain. Am I supposed to forget that?"

Lionel summoned his dwindling energy for one last try to break through his son's defenses. "I don't expect you to believe me but I truly am a changed man. And what is the value of my sinful life unless I use it as an example to shepherd my fellow sinners. To lead them away from the allures of hedonism, and mistrust, and greed. To follow a better way.[ii]"

Lex sneered, "So now I'm just a member of your flock. Is that all you think of me, dad?"

"No, Lex, that's not what I'm trying to say to you. I want you to see the importance of being _good_ – of doing the _right_ thing, not just the expedient thing. But it's not easy to, especially when you have the type of power that you'll inherit when I die. You have to commit yourself to that path with all your heart. You have to _want_ it. And you have to realize that you're the only one responsible for your own choices."

Lex stood facing the door for what felt to Lionel like an eternity. Then with a sigh, Lex returned to his seat by Lionel's side. Finally Lex demanded, "Skip the sermon, dad." He paused again. "But tell me more. About 'it'."

Lionel closed his eyes and took a deep, thankful breath. There was still a chance. 

"Then let me tell you about the Teagues, and something called Veritas…" 

********

[i] To refresh, Bound is the episode where Lex is accused of murdering a one-night stand, with Lionel giving Clark tips that help establish Lex's innocence. But since Lionel is still dying in this AU, Lex is more disposed to listen to his advice at the end (whereas in canon Bound, Lex walks out the prison door pretty quickly.) The loft scene from canon Bound where Lex tells Clark about the darkness inside him does not take place in this AU.

[ii] This is from Lionel's speech to the warden in Scare.


	2. Turbulence

# Chapter 1 – Turbulence

> According to an apocryphal story, Werner Heisenberg was asked what he would ask God, given the opportunity. His reply was: "When I meet God, I am going to ask him two questions: Why relativity? And why turbulence? I really believe he will have an answer for the first."  
>  – [Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turbulence)  
> 

**February 2005 (post Recruit[i] )**

Lex closed his laptop and leaned back in his chair with a sigh. He was tired – there just weren't enough hours in the day to deal with the demands of running LuthorCorp. The lack of sleep was definitely catching up with him. To make it worse, Lionel had consumed more and more of his time, trying desperately to transmit the 'Luthor legacy' before finally passing on just last week. Secret after secret had been revealed, interspersed with born-again exhortations to reform his ways.

Lex had long seen his father as a manipulative bully whose ambition would trample anything in his path. But at the end, Lex had also seen a different man, one who had used charm every bit as much as intimidation to get his way. In years gone by, Lionel's charisma had been used as just another business tool, but by the end it had seemed more genuine. Either way, the results had been very real, and Lex was now the beneficiary.

Lex stood up with a stretch and crossed to the windows overlooking downtown Metropolis. Instinctively, he divided the skyscrapers into three categories: LuthorCorp properties (a substantial and constantly growing proportion), competitors (aka enemies – not even Lionel on his deathbed had believed they were anything else) and allies. The size of the last category had surprised Lex – he hadn't known how extensive Lionel's network of contacts was. Now Lex too had the governor, mayor and chief of police on speed dial, not to mention hundreds of 'go-to' men in almost any conceivable line of work. His power stretched into every nook and cranny of the city and beyond.

' _The measure of a man is what he does with power_.' Lionel's voice, quoting Plato, whispered through Lex's mind. He had the power now – what next? 

Lex turned towards Smallville, invisible in the distance. Smallville was the one place where he was respected in spite of, instead of because of, Lionel's influence. He missed the people there – some of them at least. 

It had been weeks since he'd talked to Chloe, his partner in getting Lionel convicted. Her silence did not bother Lex. Rather the contrary, he considered it a reflection of her fundamental honesty. Chloe had nearly been killed by Lionel – twice – and her father was still considered unemployable thanks to Lionel's vindictiveness. Chloe would never call to feign regret over Lionel's death when she was probably still repressing the urge to dance on his grave. 

As for Lana, their relationship was strong but strained. He'd once called her the best business partner he'd ever had – admittedly the competition wasn't all that strong – and he missed their old conversations about how to make The Talon an even greater success. But Lana was changing quickly as she grew up, and in her efforts to be more independent, she often interpreted attempts to help as smothering. He worried that she was in over her head with Jason Teague, but his efforts to warn her had been met with hostility. 

And then there was Clark…

Clark had called a few times, but the conversations had been awkward. Lex was still trying to process how Lionel's revelations fit in with the farmboy he knew. The situation reminded him of a book he'd read involving code breaking during World War II[ii] – so many secrets, so much misdirection, so many things that just didn't make sense until you had the key.

The phone rang, interrupting his musings. His secretary reminded him of an impending meeting with a group of risk management analysts to address concerns over the business succession. Lex sighed and gathered up his presentation materials. He headed out the door and down to the ground floor.

“Lex! Lex!” A woman cried out to Lex as he crossed the LuthorCorp lobby. All too many voices were constantly demanding his attention, and he had become accustomed by necessity to blocking them out. But there was something somehow familiar about this one… Lex turned to face the woman and gave her a polite if distant welcome.

“Phew, I thought you were going to be whisked away again! Lex, I know how busy you are these days, but we really need to finalize the details for the trip!”

 _Trip_ , Lex wondered, _what trip? Who is this woman?_ His expression, usually so tightly guarded, must have given away his confusion as the bright grin on his companion faded.

“Lex, you do remember…” The woman’s voice trailed off and her face flushed as she blundered into forbidden territory. “I mean, I knew… I read the stories during your father's trial. But I didn’t think… Lex, don’t you remember me?”

Lex gave the woman a thorough visual examination. Short mousy blonde hair, average height, average looks lit up by intelligent brown eyes, a well-toned body brimming with energy – not his type but... He frowned at an elusive memory and waved his hand vaguely around her face.

She laughed. “Yeah, it’s the hair that always confuses people. It used to be, like, 3 feet long and really blonde. Well, except for that time it turned green…”

With that, Lex’s memory clicked into place and he gave a wide grin. “Karyn! The lab explosion at Princeton! Of course, forgive me for my lapse. It’s been, what, six years? Are you now Dr. Price, or are you still working on your doctorate?”

Karyn’s smile faded again. “Actually Lex, we met several times last year. You hired me to work part-time while I was in training for the Olympics. You really helped me out and it kills me to think your dad…” Her voice trailed off again.

Lex grimaced. He had grown closer to Lionel before the end, but it still hurt to remember how far his father had gone to supress his memories. 

Karyn continued, "I just assumed you remembered. Especially since I got all the funding I needed to make the trip arrangements. But then you never replied to my emails."

Lex frowned at this example of bureaucratic inefficiency. "I've got four assistants whose sole job is to weed through my correspondence, trying to keep me from being inundated by it all. And I've got a room full of assistants to coordinate my schedule and delegate tasks that don't require my direct attention. I imagine your emails got caught up in a loop somewhere. They should at least have given you an acknowledgement though. I'll check into it." 

"Don't start a witch hunt on my behalf, Lex. It's just that you were so excited when we talked about the trip. We met for lunch a few times and developed a plan, and you wrote out some instructions on how to proceed. And I have to tell you, Lex, those instructions have been scrupulously honoured by everyone at LuthorCorp that I've needed to involve. They've all seemed thrilled at the idea of helping you to have some 'much needed enjoyment' – that's the usual expression. You have no idea how happy these people are to work for you. And now when everything's almost ready to go, I find out you don't even know what I've been doing for the last year!"

Lex looked around the crowded lobby, and glanced at his watch. "Look, Karyn, I'm running late for a meeting I can't cancel. Can you meet me at 8:00 for dinner? I'd like to see that plan. And I'd love to know what you've been up to."

Karyn's smile in response was dazzling. "Can't wait, boss!"

********

**Later that night **

Clark stood motionless at the window of his loft, gazing out on the night sky. It was late and he was tired – too tired to sleep, too tired to concentrate. He was afraid to move for fear of losing control and damaging everything around him. And his head ached with the constant wash of noise from the farm, from Smallville, from Metropolis, from everywhere. It pummelled at him, punishing him for his mistakes, his lies, his cowardice. 

Memories of Alicia haunted him. Alicia – how he missed that girl. Of all the people he'd ever met, she was the one who best understood him, despite, or perhaps because of all the difficulties they'd gone through together. With her, he had felt comfortable in his skin. He wished they'd had time to get to know each other better, time to move past the intense physical attraction into something closer to what his parents had together. His regrets circled through his mind in a seemingly endless loop.

Then amidst the cacophony of sound, a mechanical purr grew louder, demanding his attention. Focussing on that purr, Clark was able to relax and take control of his powers once again. He listened closer and gave a brief smile as he catalogued the noise: Lex, driving (too fast of course) down the county road, and then turning into the farm. A car door slamming. Lex, climbing the steps up to the loft.

"I saw the light, Clark. I hope you don't mind me dropping by."

"You know you're always welcome here, Lex." Although Clark meant that sincerely, somehow it came out sounding more distant than he'd intended. There was an awkward pause. Clark bit his lip and continued, "Did you get my message about your dad? I was sorry to hear he'd passed away."

"Thank you, Clark. I know Lionel caused a lot of grief around here, but he was trying to make amends at the end."

Clark nodded, remembering when Lionel helped him to clear Lex of a murder charge several months ago. And yet… The silence stretched.

Lex cleared his throat. "But that's not why I'm here."

Silence. "Yes?" said Clark.

"It's awkward. So much has happened and you all may have made other plans already. I understand if you say no."

Clark smiled wistfully. "When did it become so hard for us to talk to each other, Lex? I can't say yes or no if you don't tell me what you want."

"It's not so much what I want, but what I want to give you. Give us, I mean – you, Chloe, Lana. A small thank you for my friends here in Smallville."

Clark blinked in surprise. "I don't understand. Has someone saved you from drowning lately?"

Lex snorted. "Graduation. You're all graduating soon and it's traditional to give a gift. And last year, I thought up a great one. But then I… forgot."

Clark was rendered speechless as his brain struggled to process what a Luthor would think of as a suitable graduation gift, while simultaneously processing the old feelings of guilt surrounding Lex's 'forgetfulness'. 

Lex laughed at his dumbstruck look. "And yes, it's a special gift, but no, it's not an expensive one. Well, not unless you count the R&D costs of the toilet."

Clark's eyes widened further.

Lex laughed again. "The look on your face! Sorry, this isn't like me. I feel like I haven't slept in weeks, and it's starting to show in my speech patterns. I feel like I've been wandering the labyrinth, trying to figure out what the Minotaur's been up to. I've been running the company for nearly a year now and I'm still uncovering off-the-book projects. And even some of the official government projects are just… I don't what our elected officials are thinking of. There's this one involving dogs… I don't know how I'll ever find time for the trip."

Clark waited expectantly for more details. When Lex stayed silent, he prodded, "Graduation. Toilets. Secret projects. Is there something here I'm missing?"

Lex snorted. "Yes, no – God, I need some coffee. Or some sleep." He rubbed his eyes and continued, "Let me start again. Last year, I had an idea for a graduation gift."

"One involving toilets and secret projects?"

"Actually, yes. Though it wasn't supposed to be a secret project, it just became one."

"Ah, that explains everything." Clark's grin was infectious, teasing.

"You see, I have an old friend – a biochemist and world class kayaker. And she needed a part-time job while she was training for the Olympics, so I hired her last year. And we started to talk about kayaking, and she told me about these trips she's taken, and I got really interested. And we started brainstorming and things just kind of snowballed from there."

"Things?"

"She was describing a trip down the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon, and I thought that would make for a perfect graduation gift. It actually doesn't cost all that much, not if you have your own guide and equipment. Getting the permit is the tricky bit, but we were able to finesse that. But then there was the matter of the toilets."

"I can't imagine there's many toilets in the Grand Canyon."

"You're right. In fact, you have to bring one with you, and haul all your waste out. And frankly that didn't appeal to me. Nearly killed the project in fact."

Clark grinned at Lex's fastidiousness. 

"Go ahead and smile, farmboy, but not everyone is used to hauling around an outhouse while trying to navigate class five rapids. I know there are some solutions on the market, but they're just not up to my standards. So we started brainstorming and came up with some real cutting-edge ideas to design an environmentally friendly toilet. We're going to revolutionize the Port-a-Potty business!"

Clark snickered at the odd combination of practicality and grandiosity.

"Laugh all you like, Clark, but it's a surprisingly big business. Construction sites, outdoor festivals…" Lex took a deep sigh. "Look, I'm getting off track here. All you really need to know is that I've planned this trip after graduation and you're invited. Can you make it?"

Clark's smile dimmed. "May? June? That's still planting season, Lex. I'm not sure if dad can spare me."

"Surely he can hire a few extra hands, Clark. He's going to have to anyways once you go off to university."

"About that, Lex. I'm not sure…" Clark's voice trailed off.

Lex's gaze sharpened. "Don't tell me you've run into problems with your football scholarship. I don't see why Geoff's behavior should impact negatively on you."

Clark sighed. "It shouldn't. It didn't. But, I still feel… It just doesn't feel right. I don't want to get consumed by that 'win at all costs' mentality."

"I thought you loved playing?"

"Yeah, being part of a team, everyone working together – that's the best feeling in the world. But at college – it's big business, Lex."

"And we all know how Kents feel about big business." Lex's tone was deliberately neutral.

Clark rolled his eyes. "That's not it, Lex. It's just that I don't want to spend my next four years in a football huddle. I want to find my place in the world – and it won't be as a jock. I want to find something that challenges me."

Lex nodded. "Well, that's what university is for. So take a bunch of courses during your first year and find out what appeals to you. You never know, you might find yourself working with me someday – I've seen your marks, Clark. You've got the talent to become a great scientist if you put your mind to it."

Clark looked less than thrilled at the idea. "But…"

"Look, Clark, I'm not say that's what you _should_ do. I'm just saying it's something you _could_ do if you worked hard at it. Or be a doctor, or lawyer, or fireman – I don't care. But give yourself the chance to find out."

Clark nodded sheepishly. "Right. But…"

"And don't tell me that your dad wouldn't like it. He's a proud man, but nothing matters more to him than you being happy."

"I know, but…"

"And there's more than one scholarship out there, Clark. With your marks and extra-curriculars, you'll be a shoe-in. And I can always help you get a part-time job for spending money."

"Yeah, but…"

"And the commute from Metropolis is going to be getting a whole lot shorter once the river bypass opens. I've got my people working on that anyhow."

Clark waved his hands in surrender. "All right, Lex. I give in, I give in. I'll talk to dad and make it work."

Lex gave a somewhat abashed grin. "Sorry, didn't mean to steamroller you like that."

Clark smiled back. "I'll get over it somehow. Thank you, Lex." He wanted to say more, wanted in fact to give Lex a hug and nag him to take better care of himself, but there were still too much distance between them for that. 

But this was a start.

********

**Next afternoon **

Lex strode into the Talon, expecting to find the usual after school rush. Instead, the room was practically empty. He checked his watch – he was running a bit early.

From behind the counter, Martha Kent smiled gently at him and started the cappuccino machine. "Lex, it's so good to see you again. I'm so sorry for your loss." 

"Thank you, Mrs. Kent."

"Martha," she corrected. "I know you've been terribly busy in Metropolis, but Clark has missed you. And he was so excited when he told us about your offer this morning. It was good to see him smiling again."

"So did Clark get your permission?"

"Jonathan hemmed and hawed for a bit, but Clark's pretty hard to say no to when he's got his heart set on something."

Lex smiled, but his reply was cut off when the door opened and students started to pour in. Martha handed him his cappuccino and nodded to the first person in the rapidly growing line for their order.

Lex retreated to his usual table and enjoyed his drink – so strange that some of the best coffee in Kansas came from this garishly decorated café. First Lana and now Martha – they'd done well. Content, he started to check through his voice messages.

"Lex, Lex! Thank you. I can't believe you thought of this. And thought to invite me!" Lex looked up to see Chloe Sullivan beaming down at him, her whole body quivering in excitement.

Lex stood. "It was a good idea, wasn't it? And why wouldn't I invite you, especially after all your help last year." He pulled out a chair for her.

"I've got to get my drink first. Back in a sec."

As Chloe bustled away, Lex noticed Lana standing behind her. She too was smiling, if somewhat more reservedly.

"Clark told us a bit about the trip, and said you'd invited us. It sounds wonderful, Lex, but I don't know… Isn't it dangerous?"

"Less dangerous statistically speaking than staying here in Smallville." _Which wasn't saying much_ , acknowledged Lex silently. He could see the same thought in Lana's eyes. "We're going with an Olympic calibre athlete, and she's covered all the bases to make sure we stay healthy and happy during the trip. I don't take safety issues lightly, Lana."

She sighed and sat at his table. "I'll talk to Jason. I assume he's welcome too." She gave him a slightly challenging look.

Lex nodded – it would do Jason good to be out of his mother's clutches for a while.

Chloe returned to the table and handed Lana a coffee before starting to sip her own. They pelted him with questions about the trip plan. Lana was intrigued, while Chloe got more and more excited with every detail.

"Can Lois come too?"

A despairing 'No' came from the door. Clark had just entered the Talon and was frantically shaking his head in denial. 

Lex gave Clark a shark like grin and turned to Chloe. "Of course!"

The outraged look on Clark's face set off a gale of laughter from all.

******

**Next week (Krypto[iii] )**

Clark was in love. Not the topsy-turvy yearning for Lana, or the turbulent drama with Alicia, or the milder bond with Chloe. No, this was the real thing.

The object of his affection smiled toothily at him and thumped his tail. Clark gave the dog a good head rub, and then started in on his chores. The dog watched him for a while before curling up for a nap.

Clark smiled fondly and gathered together some wood for his next project: building a machine for dry-land kayak training. In preparation for the trip, Lex had passed on an exercise routine to build up their balance, strength and endurance. Even though Clark had more than enough muscle strength, he knew the girls needed plenty of practice. Hopefully, they would appreciate not having to do their torso rotation exercises on the kitchen counter – the only surface, they'd protested at his laughter, with the proper height and a place to properly hook their feet.

Clark stepped back to admire the finished project and decided to test it out. He arranged himself so his hips were resting on a bench, and leaned his torso down until his forehead was nearly on the floor. He then raised his feet until they were level with his hips, pressing up on a bar for balance. He picked up weights in each hand and took a deep breath. Exhaling, he started pulling his torso up while twisting his arms and body to one side. When his trunk was even with his legs, he inhaled and started lowering his upper body until he was back at the start position. He then repeated the sequence with the twist to the other side. 

He'd just completed 10 sets when the dog woke up and jumped forward to lick his face. Clark laughed and gave the dog a scratch before commanding him to sit. The dog jumped about instead, and Clark repeated, "Sit, Krypto, sit."

Lex strolled into the barn. "Interesting name." 

Clark hadn't heard his car drive up and wondered how long he'd been there. He stood up and waved at the training machine. "Like it?"

"Very nice, though you're always welcome to use my gym you know." 

"Yeah, but… You're away a lot nowadays and it just doesn't feel right."

Lex shrugged and returned to his original topic, "Krypto – what's it mean?" Lex tried to pat the dog, who responded with a loud growl. Lex backed away with a wry grin. "Friendly."

"It's because his background is so cryptic." Despite receiving a reassuring scratch from Clark, the dog continued to eye Lex warily, obviously on guard.

"Speaking of his background," said Lex. "I went out to the scene of the robbery and saw my armored truck. From the look of the back doors, I can only assume it was the handy work of some very strong dogs."

Clark started to worry and rubbed the dog harder. "Lex, you told me I could keep him back when you thought he was a failed experiment."

"But, Clark, if the experiment didn't fail, this dog could be dangerous."

Clark responded firmly, "But he's not dangerous now. He saved my life. I'll take my chances on his loyalty."

Lex gave him an impatient look. "And what if the dog over-reacts to something out of his loyalty to you? If he hurts someone, LuthorCorp would be liable. It's a big risk, Clark."

Clark replied defensively. "The vet said he was perfectly normal, Lex. And you can see how friendly he is." The dog wagged his tail in response to the pat, and then resumed his unwavering stare at Lex.

"Clark, we don't know the long-term effects of exposure to the meteor rock. I've seen a few studies that show the mental effects long outlive the physical ones."

Clark protested, "But not everyone exposed to the meteor rock turns violent. If they did, you'd have to quarantine the whole town!"

Lex raised his eyebrows. "I'm just saying… be careful, Clark. There's an old Russian proverb, _doveryai, no proveryai_ – trust but verify. Ronald Reagan believed in it. So do I."

Clark sensed that there was no arguing Lex out of his opinion. Part of him – the part that spent so much time fighting teenagers transformed into monsters – even understood. "So just what kind of proof will make you happy?"

Lex visibly relaxed and started to discuss some possible approaches. The dog reacted by closing his eyes and settling down for a nap. Crisis averted – for now at least. 

******

* * *

[i] Imagine a version of Recruit where Clark is still upset at Alicia's recent death, instead of being so happy-go-lucky at the start. His conflict over having to maintain his secret from the end of Pariah plays an even greater role in his decision to abandon football. Lex remains in Metropolis throughout Unsafe and Recruit, which is where he meets Genevieve and hires Jason.

[ii] Although he has read several excellent books on this topic, Lex is especially thinking of Connie Willis' wonderful novel, _To Say Nothing of the Dog_ , which – on the surface – makes even less sense than season 4. Buy it!

> Take an excursion through time, add chaos theory, romance, plenty of humor, a dollop of mystery, and a spoof of the Victorian novel, and you end up with what seems like a comedy of errors but is actually a grand scheme "involving the entire course of history and all of time and space that, for some unfathomable reason, chose to work out its designs with cats and croquet mallets and penwipers, to say nothing of the dog. And a hideous piece of Victorian artwork."

[iii] The events of canon Krypto are practically unchanged in this AU except: (1) when Genevieve meets Lex in an early scene, she is fishing for information on what Lionel told Lex about Veritas; (2) Lex does not say to Clark that he understands that the dogs were _destroyed_ – he says the vaguer 'taken care of';(3) Clark and Lex have a longer discussion in the barn about trust (included in the story); and (4) the conversation between Lionel and Jason does not take place. And yes, Shelby is a boy.


	3. Obstruction

#  Chapter 2 – Obstruction

>   
>  A boulder or ledge in the middle of a river or near the side can obstruct the flow of the river, and can also create a "cushion"; a "drop" (over the boulder); and "hydraulics" or "holes" where the river flows back on itself—perhaps back under the drop—often with fearful results for those caught in its grasp.  
>  – [Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_water#Obstruction)  
> 

**March 2005 (Sacred** [i] **)** ****

"Use your knees, Clark. Careful, not so hard. Watch out!"

The warning came too late. Clark's kayak wobbled violently, tipped sideways and rolled upside down. Karyn and Lex held their breath for a moment, until Clark properly aligned himself, swept the oar around and rolled back upright. He grinned up at them. "Now I know why that was practically the first lesson."

"Exactly," replied Karyn. "If there's one thing I can guarantee about whitewater kayaking, it's that you will find yourself upside down at some point – usually when you're in the middle of a challenging run. So you have to train yourself to get back upright almost instinctively. Okay, let's try again. Lex, you go first this time."

Lex climbed into the kayak and started paddling laps around the small training pond. They'd been at the Met U rowing centre for a few hours, but their time so far had been spent in the swimming pool on safety and technical drills. This was their first chance to put theory to test, and Clark was slightly envious at how quickly Lex was catching the rhythm. 

"That's it, Lex – good job! See, Clark. It's not just about raw power. Use your back and side muscles, not your arms so much. Good! Now twist the torso to keep your shoulders and hips in line. And use your knees to balance the boat. Okay?"

Clark's voice was a little dubious. "Okay." He took a few more strokes and wobbled erratically around the pond. He gave a frustrated sigh.

"Don't worry, Clark, it'll come. It won't happen overnight, but Lex told me you're all fast learners. Just give me a few weekends and you'll be amazed at what you can do." She smiled at the doubt in his eyes and continued, "Sure, you won't be up to everything the Colorado can throw at you, but we can always use the support boat to run some of the tougher rapids. The more time you put into practicing the basics now, the more we'll be able to get done on our trip. I wish the rest of the group was here though."

"Yeah, sorry about that. Chloe should be coming soon – she was working on an article, and talked Lois into helping out. I don't know about Lana and Jason. Lex?"

"They were visiting with Jason's mother last night. He said he'd let us know if anything came up."

Clark frowned. "Maybe we should call?"

"Don't worry about it for now," advised Karyn. "Let's see if you can do a few laps first."

"Keep up, Clark," shouted Lex.

Clark gritted his teeth – he was used to sports coming easily to him, but somehow the trick of kayaking eluded him. The boats were so tippy! He tried to remember Karyn's advice – she made it look effortless. He persevered and soon was making his way around the pond with growing confidence. But then he looked around, and saw Lex practicing some graceful turns, spinning the kayak in tight circles. Clark lost his concentration, took a stroke that went awry, and suddenly found himself underwater again. He cursed mentally, and then went through the drill: get into position, drive the paddle down while snapping the hips to roll back to the surface. Lex was there, ready to tease or help if needed. 

Just as Clark was shaking the water out of his hair, Chloe's car pulled up by the side of the training pond. She got out and yelled down to them, "Sorry I'm so late. You wouldn't believe what the girls' volleyball team is up to!"

Lois trailed behind, pulling her hair up into a ponytail. "Even after all these months, I still can't get over all the weird and wonderful things that happen around that high school. Do you think it's something in the water?"

Clark, Lex and Chloe exchanged looks. Lex said smoothly, "I can assure you, the EPA has checked, repeatedly. Everything tests well within allowable ranges."

Chloe added, "It's just one of those things, you know. The rest of Kansas is perfectly normal, so Smallville being weird just averages things out."

Clark nodded, "Statistics."

"Yeah, whatever. Let's get on with it. Time to teach the boys how it's done!"

Karyn smiled and shook her hand. "I can see we're going to get along well. You two come with me for the beginner drills. Clark, I want you to keep practicing on your technique. Remember to feather your strokes. You're digging in too deep and that pulls you off centre. Lex, you can take a break if you like while I get everyone caught up."

"I do need to check in with the office," Lex acknowledged. He climbed out of the kayak and headed straight for his phone. 

Clark continued paddling while listening to the odd combination of Lex's business talk and Karyn's kayaking lecture.

"Refer that to legal."

"Hold the paddle like this."

"I'll want to see the full feasibility study before the next board meeting."

"It comes naturally, but it's not necessarily the best way to go about it."

"Are they making any progress on the design issues?"

"You want to get rid of your arms and just think of them as connecting to the engine, which is your torso – the paddling machine."

Clark took that advice, getting into a constant swivel motion, using the long muscles of his back to drive the kayak. His speed and balance picked up considerably. He smiled in delight and continued his laps. As he gained confidence, he started to appreciate why the kayaks were designed the way they were. They bobbed high on the water to minimize the chance of hitting submerged rocks. Yes, they had an alarming tendency to roll upside down. But that very tippiness was what made the boats so maneuverable. The bottom of the boat was shaped like a rocker, so if you shifted your weight forward, you could pivot around on the bow much like a figure skater using the pick. Karyn showed them how to edge their turns, tipping the boat almost sideways to make it even more responsive. She assured them that once on whitewater, you could even do aerial maneuvers like back flips and lateral spins. 

Time seemed to fly. Lex soon rejoined him and the two practiced ever more elaborate moves. Clark had more power, but Lex matched his efforts with a rhythmic grace.

Almost reluctantly, they stopped for lunch. Clark chattered excitedly with Chloe and Lois, while Lex ate quickly and stepped away to call into the office. When Karyn called the girls back for more lessons, Clark climbed back into the kayak and resumed his practice. But just as he thought he'd mastered the basics, he took a bad stroke and found himself under water once more. He quickly righted himself and looked around – only Karyn had noticed, and she gave him an approving smile before resuming the lecture. Lex was still firing out directives.

"I thought they were rolling that out next week. What's the delay?"

"We're now going to learn something called the Eskimo Roll. The three steps are the set-up, the catch, and the recovery."

"Yes, fine. Set up the teleconference for Monday. We need to close that deal. Get Jason on it." There was a pause, the Lex bellowed, "He did what?"

Clark turned the kayak towards shore in response to the tone in Lex's voice. He listened as Lex snapped off some instructions, and then hung up.

"Jason took the LuthorCorp jet. To China. With Lana." You knew Lex was angry when his words were so clipped.

Clark blinked. "But… they were supposed to be here!"

"Obviously. Jason called my assistant at midnight and said that I was sending him to China for a business deal. My assistant didn't think to double check with me – well, I can't blame him for that I suppose. But it should have raised a red flag when Lana went too." Lex shook his head in frustration. "Karyn, I'm going to have to leave now. I promise to make up for it soon."

Clark said, "Me too. I've got a bad feeling. It's not like Lana to keep secrets from me." He spotted Chloe rolling her eyes and added, "Not lately at least."

Lex said, "Keep up then. I want to get to the bottom of this."

****

**Later that evening** ****

Within hours, Clark and Lex found themselves flying over the Pacific, en route to China.

"What do you think this is about?" asked Clark.

"Could be anything," said Lex.

"Yeah, but I'm guessing you have a hunch at least."

Lex sighed. "It worries me that they were meeting with Jason's mother and then left. Lionel warned me about her."

"About what?"

"Look, Clark. You have your secrets and I have mine. You're here because you're worried about Lana and wouldn't take no for an answer. I can't blame you for that. But it's not fair for you to expect me to tell you everything, when you hold back the truth yourself."

Clark paused. "They're not always my secrets to tell."

"Fair enough. But if we're going to help Lana, we need to understand what's going on with her."

Clark paused again and nodded. "Where do we start?"

"In Paris, when she met Jason."

"Okay. Umm, they hit it off after he literally ran into her."

"That was no accident. Genevieve arranged it."

"Wow." Clark gave him a curious look. "Okay, she came back and seemed interested in the Kawatche caves. And Chloe told me she got a tattoo that looked like one of the Kawatche symbols."

"Interesting. Which one?"

Clark blinked and eyed Lex carefully. He drew the symbol of two looped lines.

Lex raised his eyebrows, working hard to suppress his excitement that Clark was opening up to him. "I've seen that somewhere else I think."

Clark nodded hesitantly. "It's the symbol on the stone your father found."

"When the two of you wound up switching bodies?"

"Yeah, I wonder what happened to it. I think maybe its… magic?"

"Or some sufficiently high technology indistinguishable to us from magic. I suppose that might explain what happened at Chloe's birthday party."

"Right. Lana was definitely not herself then."

"How'd you stop her?" Lex had never asked before.

"She had just got an old book – it was written in Latin I think. I burned it and she came back to normal." 

Lex allowed himself to look the smallest bit impressed. "Good thinking there, but that might not help us this time. I'm worried that Genevieve is trying to use Lana to find another stone. Her family has been searching for them for centuries, going back to the days when Lana's ancestor was burned as a witch."

Clark frowned. "How'd you know that, Lex? Have you been spying on Lana too?"

"After my father's warning, I started checking into the Teagues and was surprised when I kept finding connections to Lana – connections that go back hundreds of years. I won't apologise for looking into that."

Clark was silent in response, lips tightly pursed. Some progress at least – Clark looked like he was evaluating Lex's statement, instead of rejecting it outright as he might have done last year. Lex allowed the silence to linger while Clark thought things through. They would never be able to work together if Clark couldn't understand the need to gather information about possible threats. 

"Why China?"

Lex suppressed a sigh of relief at the question. Then he too paused as he figured out how much information was safe to share. Finally, Lex broke the silence. "Remember the manuscript?"

"The one you paid too much for?"

Lex reached into his briefcase and pulled out some papers. "Turns out it was a bargain. There was a hidden layer – a map, with a Chinese temple in the centre. See?" Lex showed Clark his discovery, noting that Clark didn't seem all that surprised, though he did seem unusually tense. Lex continued, "And there just happens to be a temple fairly near Chongqing that's covered in symbols similar to the Kawatche Caves. I don't think it's a coincidence that Jason's flight landed there."

Clark looked worried. "What's wrong with you and Jason? I thought you were friends now – he works for you after all."

"Jason's a nice enough person – except when he's been talking to his mother. Genevieve can make Lionel look like a saint."

Clark's look expressed his doubt. Lex couldn't blame him – he wouldn't have believed it himself a few months ago.

*******

**Next day** ****

Tongren[ii] was a market town that had grown up around a mysterious temple in the mountains of Guizhou Province. To get there had taken a long drive from Chongqing following an even longer series of flights, and Clark was almost bouncing from the inactivity. His nose was pressed to the window of the limousine as he tried to absorb the bustle of the city. Lex didn't share his interest – he was busy reviewing his notes. Finally, he tucked the map into a pocket and started questioning the driver.

"So how many languages do you know, Lex?" Clark was impressed – the conversation had been in rapid fire Mandarin.

Lex looked just a little smug. "I understand nine, though I'm only fluent in three. My accent needs some work."

"Wow. So what did you talk about?"

Lex repeated a local myth about dragons that had been living in a local cave, terrorizing the population. An all-powerful god had fought with them and turned them into stone. The temple had been built beside the cave in his honor, and was rumored to hold a great treasure. Clark wondered what it all meant.

They finally reached the temple but were dismayed to see the entrance was blocked. Lex fired off a series of questions, and backed away to talk with Clark.

"They say it's closed today for renovations. It may be open tomorrow. Maybe not."

"And you think that's not just a coincidence."

"I do not. And if those are real police at the gate, I'll eat my… tie. Some of them aren't even Chinese."

Clark gave a sudden gasp and put his hands to his ears, trying to block out a high pitched whining coming from the direction of the temple.

"What's wrong, Clark?"

Clark gasped, "I don't know. Lana, I think… We have to help her!" The sound was somewhat similar to the whine from the Kent's old generator, but stronger and more ominous. He tried to localize the direction, but the sound faded before he could.

Lex watched with concern until Clark recovered his breath. "You're the one with years of practice getting into my library unannounced," he said. "Any ideas?"

Clark smiled slightly at the old joke, and then surveyed the wall and the guards surrounding the temple. He pulled Lex even further back from the entrance and started to make a wide circle around the building.

"There's always a gap," Clark whispered, pointing to an area of the wall hidden from the view of the nearest guards by a stand of trees. The wall was at least 10 feet tall. Clark climbed it with ease and pulled Lex up. They carefully made their way into the temple.

The temple was odd – not just foreign odd, but freaky odd. It looked nothing like the pictures of other Chinese temples that Clark had seen. The building was formed from beams that were made of wood painted a silvery white, looking somehow like pillars of ice. The beams on the roof crossed each other at odd angles to form pyramid shapes. The building was eerily quiet – the noise from outside completely dampened. He and Lex exchanged wary looks and started exploring.

They soon came to a room covered by a series of large paintings. The first showed a black-haired man working with farmers in a field, lifting an enormous boulder. The second showed the man – or was he a god? – flying high above the mountains, looking down on a cave from which a dragon was emerging. The last showed the man/god fighting nine dragons at once – and winning. The paintings were edged with the now familiar symbols from the Kawatche caves.

Eager to find Lana, Clark first gave the paintings only a cursory glance. Then he looked deeper. He muttered, "It just doesn't make sense. I must be missing something…" He was confused and nervous. If he found all the stones like Jor-El wanted, would that make everything better? Worse? Why didn't Jor-El just tell him where to go if it was so important?

Suddenly, the noise outside picked up. Jason ran into the room, panting. His t-shirt was torn and covered with blood.

"You!" Jason first barricaded the door, and then stalked towards Lex. "I should have known you were behind this."

"I have no idea what you’re talking about," Lex protested.

"I know you're after the stones – my mother warned me. And now you're using Lana."

"Excuse me, I wasn't the one who brought her here."

"No, but you're the ones who hired these… thugs. They tried to torture us, Lex – how could you? And now they've unleashed Isobel again. She attacked us and disappeared."

"So don't you think it's time we dropped the stalemate of who knows what, and do whatever we can to protect Lana?"

Jason sneered. "If you want us to start spilling our guts, you go first."

"Okay. We both know my father had every inch of this place scoured, and he didn't find the stone. Come on, Jason. You wouldn't have come all the way here unless you knew the secret to reading that map."

Jason bridled indignantly. Clark tried to calm the situation, and Jason turned on him.

"Why are you helping him? You should be protecting the Traveller, that's your job isn't it?"

Clark gave him a confused look and turned to Lex, who seemed equally baffled. 

Jason continued, "Come on, guys – we don't have time to spare playing games with each other. Lana's turned into her crazy ancestor and has started hurting a bunch of people. Who knows what she'll do if she gets her hand on that stone."

"I really don't know what you're talking about," said Lex.

"Of course you do. You Luthors have been involved with the Veritas project for as long as us Teagues. It's your job too to protect the stones for the Traveller. But no, that's not good enough for you. You want them for yourself." Jason's tone was derisive.

"I'm not the only one, Jason. Your mother wasn't born a Teague, you know. Her family has been tangling with Lana's for generations, and has always come out on top. I think your mother is using Lana now, gambling the same thing will happen again."

Jason and Lex continued to argue while Clark listened wide-eyed. He wanted to trust Lex, but Jason's allegations troubled him. He finally cut them short. "Look, guys, this isn't getting us anywhere. What are we going to do about Lana?"

Jason replied, "If you're working with Lex, then I can't trust you. Even if you are a Guardian."

Clark was baffled and Jason started to explain. The Veritas society had existed for hundreds, perhaps thousands, of years. They were charged with protecting the stones– an ancient treasury of knowledge – in anticipation of the return of the Traveller. But over the years, dissension within the group grew. Some members wanted to use the stones for themselves, knowing they could enhance a person's abilities much like, though safer than, the meteor rock. Other members – calling themselves the Guardians – had hidden the relics to prevent them from being abused. But with each succeeding generation, details had been lost until the location of the stones had become no more than rumor. Dr. Swann had tried to revitalize the group, but now he was dead.

The news of Dr. Swann's death drove all other thoughts from Clark's mind. "I don't understand. I just talked to him last week. When did it happen?"

"Just last night. Well, I guess it's two nights ago by now. My mother thinks you were planted in Smallville by him, to look for signs of the Traveller. He left you a sizeable bequest after all. "

Clark was devastated and looked at Lex for reassurance. But Lex's expression was a mask – no comfort there.

Jason continued, "And he," pointing at Lex, "is responsible."

Lex erupted in anger and the accusations flew. Clark's head spun. _There was still so much I needed to learn from him about Krypton and Jor-El._ But he put aside his sorrow to deal with the immediate problem.

"Look guys –"

Suddenly, the door to the room exploded inwards. The three men turned as Lana strode in. No, not Lana. Isobel. Her eyes glowed with a purple fire. She strode towards Jason and stroked his bloody chest, digging her nails into the wounds. Jason pulled back with a wince and Isobel smiled cruelly. "You are a resilient lad, aren't you? So earnest, and yet so tragically doomed to pay for the sins of your ancestors."

Lex pleaded, "Lana, if there's any part of you in there..."

Isobel turned to him. "And you, greedy boy, I can only imagine what mischief you would cause were you to unite the Stones of Knowledge. Too bad that neither of you could see what was right in front of you all along." Her body glowed with energy and when she touched Lex, he collapsed. Isobel triumphantly picked up the document tucked in his pocket. "It was never a map."

Clark leapt towards Isobel, trying to wrest the map away from her. Isobel smiled and hit him with a bolt of purple energy. Clark collapsed in agony.

Isobel gave him a contemptuous look and turned to leave. "You put up a better fight last time."

The world faded to black.

********

Jason ran off after Isobel, but Lex stayed with Clark. He knew it was pointless to take on Isobel without him and some kind of plan. He sat down by Clark's side and did what he was best at – he thought.

He looked up at the paintings – vibrantly coloured despite being over a thousand years old. The central figure looked more than a little like Clark. Lex also remembered a drawing from an old newspaper that Chloe had shown him when they'd been researching the Luthor family history. That drawing too had looked like Clark – maybe it had been of Clark's unknown biological father. Perhaps Clark was some sort of descendent of the god from the Chinese myth, with powers diluted by the intervening generations. That fit in with the Kawatche legends too.

 _It was never a map._ Lex considered Isobel's words – she'd been gloating, thus she'd been telling the truth, at least as she knew it.

If it's not a map… 

"Of course!" Lex jumped to his feet with excitement. It had been so obvious. It wasn't a map – the original version had no doubt been a painting. That crucial fact had been lost when it was copied and then hidden as a layer in the old Russian document. If he could just line up the mountains and river… He leaned down and tried to shake Clark awake.

Clark groaned and slowly opened his eyes. "I was dreaming," he said muzzily. "Dragons. They were so beautiful."

"But deadly." Lex pointed at the painting of the man/god fighting the ring of dragons and had another revelation. "That's it. The cave entrance – that's where the artist was standing." At Clark's perplexed look, Lex explained his reasoning as they exited the room.

The walk across the temple courtyard was quiet. Twice they found clumps of barely breathing guards – Isobel's work no doubt – and one of the gates in the courtyard wall had been blown open. Clark and Lex moved forward cautiously. 

At last, they reached a clearing across which they could see a large cave opening. Just in front of the entrance stood an ancient tree, beyond which the land quickly dropped away to the river. On the other side of the valley, a mountain towered. Lex nodded in satisfaction at reaching their goal.

But Isobel had arrived before them. She was chanting in Latin, and as they watched, the ground beside the entrance started to glow. As much as Lex's scientific mind wanted to reject the idea, he had to conclude she was casting a spell. How did it work? What were the rules? Could anyone do it? How could you stop it?

While Lex thought through the situation, Clark took action. He broke cover and dashed towards Isobel. She reacted quickly by firing one of her purple bolts. Clark dodged it and continued running. He got within a few feet before a second bolt struck him in the chest. Clark stumbled but his momentum kept him moving forward until he crashed into Isobel. They both fell and rolled away from each other. Isobel rose to her feet first and fired one last bolt at Clark. He convulsed and lay eerily still.

Triumphant, Isobel resumed her spell. Within seconds, a hole had been cleared in the ground. Isobel reached within and pulled out a dragon figurine. It was a stunning piece of art – the potter had perfectly captured the beauty and menace of his subject. But Isobel paid it no respect. She lifted it over her head and then smashed it on the ground. 

Amongst the shards, a crystal glittered.

 _It's beautiful,_ Lex wondered _. Calling them 'stones' is all wrong_. He flashed back to his flight home from Egypt, and the other crystal that he'd held for barely a moment. It had seemed to call to him, and then it had disappeared. He looked down at Clark, and across at Isobel. Who had it now?

Isobel pulled out a silk handkerchief and wrapped it around the crystal. She started to murmur another spell and Lex realized he was out of time – he must act now. He stole towards the cave, using every piece of cover. Isobel was too distracted to notice until he was almost within arm's reach. Lex took a deep breath and leapt.

Isobel broke off her chanting. Her hair started to bristle with energy and Lex felt his movements slow. But he pushed through the spell and reached for the crystal. Isobel shrieked with fury and reached for it as well. Their fingers touched at the same time. 

Lex convulsed as a powerful shock ran through him – like and yet unlike an electric current. Isobel was quivering as well, and emitting sparks of purple energy that the crystal seemed to be absorbing. The crystal brightened until it was painful to see, yet Lex was unable to look away. Just as Lex was reaching his physical limits, the crystal seemed to pulse. It sent a wave of energy crashing into Isobel and Lex, and sent them flying in opposite directions.

Lex landed at least 30 feet away and immediately started rolling down the hillside. He bounced into first one rock and then another, gathering cuts and bruises as he tumbled. Stunned, it took him a few moments to regain control of his body. He lay panting in the grass, and then slowly stood, brushing off the grime from his face and clothes. With great effort, he climbed back up the hill and moved cautiously towards the clearing.

Not far away, Clark was stirring, and Lex stopped to help him to his feet. Clark looked just as stunned as Lex felt, and they just stood there until they heard a moan from inside the cave. They made their way inside past fantastic rock formations until they neared the source of the noise. Jason was already there, kneeling by Isobel's side.

But it wasn't Isobel, but Lana who asked, "How did we get away from the guards?"

Clark gave a sigh of relief and replied, "It was Isobel."

Lana's face changed from confused to frightened. Her eyes had a lost look that tugged at Lex's sympathies. She was trying to be brave, but he could only imagine what it would be like to have your body taken over by another. She asked, "What'd I do?"

The three men exchanged looks and tried to hide the damage Isobel had inflicted on them. Lana wasn't fooled and looked on the verge of tears.

It was only then that Lex remembered the crystal. He tried to shake the cobwebs from his head and started searching, but he already knew.

The crystal was gone.

********

* * *

[i] I've completely rewritten Sacred, one of my least favourite episodes of Season 4. Note that since Clark is not at home at the start of this chapter, he does not hear the news report on the death of Dr. Swann, nor does he receive the octagon/key from him until after he has returned. 

[ii] Tongren is a real city in China surrounded by mountains and a river and the [Nine-Dragon Cave](http://www.travelchinaguide.com/attraction/guizhou/tongren/9dragon.htm). The location sounded perfect for a Kryptonian temple, but I've obviously changed the history of the area.


	4. Rapids

  


#  Chapter 3 – Rapids

  


> A rapid's grade is not fixed, since it may vary greatly depending on the water depth and speed of flow. Although some rapids may be easier at high flows because features are covered or "washed-out," high water usually makes rapids more difficult and dangerous. At flood stage, even rapids which are usually easy can contain lethal and unpredictable hazards.  
>  – Wikipedia

**April 20, 2005 (Spirit**[i] )

Clark cleaned the stains off his tuxedo as best he could, straightened his hair and steeled himself to return to the Prom. Even though his strength had returned almost immediately, the exposure to kryptonite would leave him feeling nauseous for hours to come. Dancing was dead last on his list of things to do, but too many people might wonder why he'd disappeared so suddenly.

Besides, he needed to check up on Chloe. He, or actually Dawn using his body, had hit her pretty hard – she'd been unconscious when he'd returned to his body. But by the time he'd dealt with the fire and the rest of the mess that Dawn had created, Chloe had disappeared. He hoped that meant she was okay.

And he really hoped that people would stop taking over his body – three times in one year was more than enough!

The band was playing a slow song but the dance floor was nearly empty. Most of the students were standing in clumps around the food tables, gossiping. Clark listened in.

"I always knew she was faking…"

"I can't believe I voted for her!"

"What on earth did she mean about Dawn deserving it more?"

"She's not even that pretty."

Clark clenched his fists, wanting to defend Chloe against the gossip. But all his powers were useless in this kind of battle. 

Lois walked towards him, holding out a glass of punch. "You Smallville kids sure know how to throw a party." 

Clark tossed back his drink. "Have you seen Chloe? After everything that happened, I wanted to check up on her."

Lois shrugged then started to tease Clark. "How on earth did you miss that it wasn't me? I wouldn't be caught dead in this dress. And the corsage! A little close to the boob, don't you think?" 

Clark blushed and wondered what to do next. Somewhat reluctantly, he extended his hand, inviting her to dance.

"As much fun as that sounds, there's someone I think you want to talk with more."

Clark turned around and smiled at the sight of Chloe. The voices around them buzzed loudly with gossip, and Chloe stiffened before giving everyone a defiant grin. Clark admired her bravery and stepped forward, pulling her onto the dance floor as the band struck up a new tune.

"I love this song." Chloe started softly singing along.

"I know. It's the same song they were playing at the Spring Formal. It always makes me think of you."

Chloe smiled and leaned into his chest. "That's nice." She closed her eyes and resumed singing. She had a nice voice. Everything about her was nice.

When the song ended, Chloe sighed with pleasure then pulled him to the food table. Clark glared at the gossipers there and they scattered away, leaving them in privacy.

"That was fun, Clark. We should do it again someday – hopefully when no one's life is in danger."

"Anytime, Chloe. Anytime. But…"

"Uh oh, here it comes." Chloe's voice was teasing.

"Seriously though. You know how much you mean to me."

"But…"

"I think you're awesome, I always have. You're my best friend in the whole world."

"But you don't feel 'that way' about me. I know that Clark. I always thought you might grow into me. I never thought I might grow out of you." 

"That's just it. I'm afraid I'm stringing you along, keeping you in my back pocket somehow. And you deserve more. You deserve to be here with a boyfriend of your own on your arm."

"Pphhht," Chloe made a dismissive sound. "As if anyone here is worthy of me." 

Clark smiled. "Well, there's Phil over there…" Phil was the captain of the basketball team and resembled a bean pole with acne.

Chloe slapped his shoulder and replied indignantly. They exchanged grins and proceeded to give each other dating tips that had them both bent over with laughter.

"I wonder what they're all saying." Chloe gestured to the groups still gossiping around them.

"You really don't want to know, believe me." Clark glowered at a particularly obnoxious cluster.

Chloe smiled secretively, "I'm sure it's not as bad as you think, Clark. It's not as though it's humanly possible to actually hear what anyone's saying from across the room."

Clark gave her a sharp look and gestured for her to follow him outside. The stars overhead twinkled gently in the chilled air.

"What did you mean by that? You've been saying a lot of weird things lately."

"It was nothing, Clark. Just a joke that I guess wasn't very funny."

"Well excuse me if I fail to see the humour in calling someone a freak when a girl has just died. You should know better, Chloe, especially after Alicia."

"I wasn't accusing you of anything," said Chloe defensively. "It just slipped out."

"You know, Chloe. There are times when you're my best friend in the world, and then something like this happens and I start wondering if you're just looking for more material for your Wall of Weird. I hate having to walk on tip-toe around you."

Chloe exploded, "That's so unfair! In case you didn't notice, I took down the Wall of Weird after Alicia died." Chloe leaned into Clark and started poking him in the chest, "You treat me like your personal search engine, yet I'm never supposed to notice how you go about stopping all those meteor freaks." Poke. "I've even stopped asking things like how you get around so fast when you need to save someone." Poke. "I played dumb when you saved us in the lab from all that falling debris right in front of my eyes." Poke. "I've listened to your endless lame excuses and don’t even roll my eyes anymore. I've covered for you with Lana and Lois and Lex, and you're too… too blind to see what's going on around you!" With that she placed both hands on his chest and pushed as hard as she could.

Clark didn't budge. "And you're too 'smart' to have the common sense to know when you're not needed. I don't know what you think you saw…"

Chloe interrupted derisively, "Don't try that with me, Clark. Your precious Alicia told me, or showed me actually. Remember when you caught her car in mid-air? Didn't you wonder why a teleporter would worry about a car accident?" 

Clark struggled to regain control of his temper. "We've been through this before, again and again. Back off, Chloe. Back off."

Chloe took him literally. She gave him one last glare and stalked away.

******

**April 27, 2005 (Blank)** ****

Living in Smallville meant getting used to the inexplicable happening on a near daily basis. So Lex hardly batted an eye when he got a call asking for his help with Clark. For the second time this year, Clark had lost his memory. Lex could sympathize.

By the time Lex reached the library, Chloe and Clark had already arrived. Clark's eyes had an unfocused and vulnerable look that roused Lex's protective instincts, while simultaneously making him wonder if he could exploit the situation.

"I can't believe I'm friends with a billionaire," said Clark, staring around at the décor.

Lex smirked. "Funny, you never seemed that impressed before."

Clark made an aborted attempt at a handshake and asked, "Mr. Luthor?" 

Whatever Lex had been expecting, it wasn't this. Clark seemed so awkward and out of place – in a completely different way than usual. He'd never appreciated before just how much their abrupt meeting on the Loeb Bridge had cut through the normal social barriers between two such different people.

He gave Clark his most reassuring smile. "Lex. I'm guessing you don't remember but we kind of dropped the formalities the day I ran you off the bridge." Clark managed to look even more bewildered than before.

Chloe laughed nervously from Clark's side. "You see how it is, Lex. I found him like this and I couldn't just leave him even if…" Chloe's voice trailed off and she shrugged.

"So you're looking into what happened?"

"Yeah," replied Chloe. "And I was hoping you still had your contact at the Summerholt Institute."

"Chloe mentioned that they'd done some experiments on you," added Clark.

"Yeah", said Chloe. "We were guessing that the guy that did this to Clark was undergoing some sort of treatment to have his memory wiped."

Lex paused a moment to process this. "Probably not too far of a leap giving their unnerving advancements in the field. Look, I'll make a few calls – see what I can find." He turned away when an idea struck. "Chloe, if you don't mind, I'd like to have a word with Clark."

Chloe looked protectively back at Clark. "Well, I promised his parents I would get him home…"

Lex's responded smoothly, "Well, I think I can manage that." Meanwhile, his instincts shrieked, _She's worried – she knows something_!

Clark was oblivious to the currents in the room. He replied, "It's all right, Chloe. You could use a break from chaperone duty. I'll be okay."

Lex gave Chloe a disarming look, and she reluctantly left. Lex then continued, "Clark, I think I might know something that might jog your memory."

Clark was interested, so after making a few phone calls, Lex led the way to the garage. He enjoyed seeing Clark's awed reaction to his car collection, and tossed him the keys to an older Lexus. They got in and quickly confirmed what Lex had suspected – despite the damage to Clark's _autobiographical_ memory, his _procedural_ memory was largely intact. That meant Clark could still drive the car, much as he could still walk. 

It was a ten minute drive to the Kawatche Caves and Lex used the time to do some further tests. Clark could still read. He still knew a fair bit of history and geography, and was adept at math. He could even quote Thucydides, though he did not remember that Lex had been the one to introduce him to the Greek classics. Lex was intrigued by the selective amnesia and part of his mind wondered at how it had happened and the potential applications, such as treatment for PTST. The rest of his mind worried that the damage to Clark might be permanent unless they took extraordinary measures.

They arrived at the cave entrance and Lex handed out flashlights. Clark led them in, gaping around in awe. "I found these caves?"

"And ever since then, the two of us have been working together, trying to solve its mysteries. That's just between you and me." Lex felt a little guilty at the deception, but figured it was justified in the circumstances. He didn't know what had become of the three Stones of Knowledge that had so nearly been his, but he did know the Teagues were still looking. They'd already killed at least one person, Bridget Crosby, in their quest. They might well go after Clark next if he remained vulnerable.

Clark ran his flashlight over the walls and focussed on the symbol of two looped lines. Lex asked casually, "Mean anything to you?"

Clark responded immediately, "Water." He paused and frowned. "Reflection, fluidity, changing…"

Lex nodded and they moved on to other symbols. Lex tried to tamp down his excitement as he learned more about the caves in a few minutes than he had in the previous three years. But for all he revealed, Clark's personal memories remained locked away. They neared the end of the cave and Lex frowned. "Well, we tried. Sorry it didn't work."

Clark looked puzzled and looked around. "But there should be another opening around here." He shone the flashlight on the final marking, a complex one with many glyphs surrounding an octagonal indentation. He slowly reached out to touch one of the symbols, which then glowed faintly red. Clark snatched back his hand and looked searchingly at Lex.

Lex admitted, "It's never done that before. At least not while I've been here. Be careful, Clark."

Clark took a deep breath and reached up again. The first symbol he touched glowed red, the second blue and the third yellow. Then the colours merged to form a harsh white light that spread through the cave. Clark stiffened and for a moment, his eyes glowed an unearthly blue. The light pulsed for a few more seconds then faded. Clark slumped to the ground and rubbed at his temples. "I don't know why I'm so tired all of a sudden."

Lex touched the symbols the way Clark had, but there was no response. He then brushed his hand around the octagonal indentation. "I guess we're missing some part of the equation." He turned towards Clark. "Is anything coming back?"

Clark shook his head wearily. "Look, I'd better be going home. I don't want my parents to worry."

Lex dropped Clark off and returned to the caves to explore further. He was almost surprised by his lack of anger at having caught Clark out in a lie – school project indeed! But when it came to the caves, he could appreciate Clark's reticence. Here hid one of the world's great mysteries, and Lex was aware of his tendency to press hard when it came to uncovering secrets. He worried that he might have gone too far this time, using his friend's disability for his own benefit. And the caves were dangerous. Lex felt a stab of fear remembering when Dr. Walden had been driven insane after an incident in the cave. He would never forgive himself if something similar had happened to his friend.

He spent a long time examining the symbol of a two-headed monster, remembering what he'd learned about the legend of Naman and Segeeth. They were friends who become enemies, destined to fight through the ages. He remembered Lionel's deathbed warnings and worried: was he Segeeth? How could he break the cycle of doubts and lies that pulled him away from Clark?

******

**Next day** ****

Getting your memory back wasn't everything it was cracked up to be. Clark wondered if he'd been happier not knowing all the facts that had weighed him down for the last years. Discovering that you were an alien was a profound shock. Discovering that your arrival on earth was responsible for hundreds, perhaps thousands, of deaths was a tragedy. Discovering that your bio-dad expected you to rule the world was something almost indescribable. And losing most of your friends because of the secrets – that was in many ways the worst thing of all.

But at least there was the comfort of his old routine. Clark was just finishing off his chores when Lex pulled into the Kent Farm. Lex called to him, "Clark... I was just looking for you. Congratulations. I heard you got full retrieval."

Clark smiled, but it was a faint shadow of his normal grin. "Everything. Everything except the last 24 hours." 

"Well, you didn't miss much, but I wanted to come in person to see the old Clark back." Lex smiled briefly and turned to leave.

Clark wondered why Lex had come all this way only to leave right away. He asked, "Lex... Chloe said she left me at the mansion because you wanted to talk. What is it you wanted to talk about?"

Lex took a deep breath. "I took you to the caves. We talked about what the symbols meant. And you said there was a hidden room, but we couldn't get in."

Clark gave a grunt in response, feeling as if Lex had struck him. He flashed back to the anger and fear he'd felt when he first walked into Lex's hidden room. Lex just couldn't resist the urge to poke away at his secrets.

Lex continued, "I thought it might help you remember."

"And you thought might learn something while you were at it." Clark tried to keep his tone neutral, but failed.

Lex rubbed his hand along his scalp. "Look Clark. I really was trying to help. And yes, I learned that you've been lying to me for years." Clark's face tightened in anger and Lex added, "I don't blame you. My father was obsessed by the caves and who knows how far he would have gone if he'd thought you knew something. But Clark, he's dead now."

"And I should trust you?"

"At least as much as I should trust you. Damn it, Clark. When have I ever done anything that makes you think I'd betray you? I fought with my own father to keep you safe."

Clark felt his temper rise. "You fought with your own father to gain control of LuthorCorp. And in the process, you brought me to the attention of the FBI and who knows what else. Secrets don't seem to stay very secret around you."

"For God's sake, Clark, you're only 18 years old. What kind of secrets could you possibly have that warrant your level of paranoia? This whole Veritas thing is a rich man's folly. Why do you take it so personally? What's it got to do with you?"

Clark was silent, staring down Lex. His eyes were accusatory and his body language radiated anger. 

Lex continued more softly, "Look, Clark, I'm not stupid. I know you're strong and fast and almost invulnerable – most of the time at least. And I want to trust you because I know you try to help people. But these lies… They just make everything worse. I know, Clark. I know."

Clark muttered, "You don't know jack."

Lex snorted. "You'd be surprised, Clark. But if it makes you more comfortable, I'll rephrase. I _suspect_ that you've been roped into the Veritas project by Dr. Swann. I _suspect_ he gave you the first stone, and meant to give you the second except he was killed. And I strongly suspect you pocketed the third stone while I was busy climbing up that damned hill in China. What I don't understand is why."

"But I thought you had it!" Clark stared into Lex's eyes and saw that here at least, Lex was telling the truth. And Lex would never be able to trust him again until he could see for himself that Clark was also telling the truth. As dad would say, time to fish or cut bait.

Clark weighed his options. Pete had found out the secret, and Pete had wound up leaving town. He'd kept Lana from the secret, yet she too had wound up leaving town. Chloe had found out and they still weren't talking to each other, though apparently she'd helped out when he lost his memory. And then there were all the others too. So many people, such different reactions. Was it safe to tell Lex? Would it even help? Or was it too late?

Clark took a deep breath and asked Lex to wait while he went into the loft to retrieve something. Then he asked Lex to drive them to the Kawatche Caves. The drive there was silent as Clark tried to control his nerves. He'd had to tell so many lies over the past four years that it had started to become a habit. Opening up was a huge risk. 

Clark flinched away from the memory of how the vial of his blood had been used in at least two LuthorCorp projects that he knew of. What would Lex do with access to the source? _He refused to use me as a lab rat that time with the chemical leak,_ he reminded himself. _He used himself instead. He's a good guy. Except when…_ Clark shivered at the memory of Lex's evil side holding a kryptonite ring up to his face. _No worse than my Kryptonian side nearly killing him when I ripped that door off his airplane_.

Clark led them through the caves to the portal access. He reached into his pocket and pulled out the octagonal disk. "I didn't steal it from you, Lex. It's been through a bunch of different hands but it keeps finding its way back to me. Because it's mine. I've got a lot of secrets, Lex. And no matter what you think, I have a right to keep them. But given everything that's gone on…" With that, he tapped in the entry sequence and a door opened to the hidden chamber. 

Lex led the way in and immediately headed towards the crystal nestled in an indentation in the central dais. But instead of seizing it, his hand stroked along the part of the indentation meant for the other two stones. "Just the one," he murmured.

"Yeah. And if I don't have it, and you don't have it…"

"Jason." Lex's voice was flat. "He played me for a fool. You've both played me for a fool." He turned his back on Clark.

Clark pleaded, "Lex! That isn't it."

Lex turned his head and glared contemptuously, before stalking out of the chamber. Once again, Clark was left alone.

******

 **May 4, 2005 (Ageless**[ii] )  
  
Lex was escorted into the Teague's Metropolis penthouse and looked around with some amusement. The décor was impeccable and meant to impress. If he was not mistaken, those were two Dégas originals in the foyer, and a large fortune in post-Impressionist paintings decorated the living room. A shame really – the Teague family spent a lot of time socializing at gallery openings and the like, but had little appreciation for art itself. They just used it as a means to display their wealth and power. But Lex had lived with the master at that game.

After several minutes, Genevieve Teague entered the room. Although in her mid-fifties, Genevieve was a beautiful woman and always would be thanks to her exquisite bone structure. But Lex liked to believe he would never have been attracted to her. She reminded him of a cobra – sleekly coiled until she was ready to strike.

Lex greeted her, "Genevieve. You know, I'm not accustomed to being summoned like a lapdog." It had been convenient though given his suspicions about Jason.

"Don't be silly, Lex. I'd never allow you on my lap." Genevieve's tone was cultured, teasing even. But there was an underlying steeliness that reminded Lex not to underestimate her.

Lex laughed politely at the barb. "So, why am I here, if not for the – um – _pleasure_ of your company?"

Genevieve poured herself a drink and gazed at him over the glass. "You just returned from China with a lost element. And I would like you to return it to me."

Lex resisted the urge to snort. "Nice try, Genevieve, but no. It was Jason who brought the stone back home."

"Jason's incapable of such subterfuge. Unfortunately, he inherited his intelligence from my husband's side of the family."

"Yes, I never thought you married well." Lex couldn't resist the urge to taunt her. Genevieve had married for the money and connections, and had used that to amass great power. But her husband had proved a failure on the political scene and the two had long since split up.

"You, on the other hand, received your genes from a far more cunning source."

Lex decided to cut short the bantering. "You know, there were other treasure seekers in China, Genevieve."

"Ha. A farm boy, an ex-cheerleader, and Lex Luthor. Who else should I think ended up with the prize?"

"Think what you will, Genevieve. Even if I had it, I'd never turn it over to you."

Genevieve's voice was still teasing but her body language was meant to be intimidating. "You know, Lex. If you don't have it, one of your friends must. I don't think either one of us want me to go after them myself."

Lex's eyes hardened. "You be careful, Genevieve. I regard a threat to my friends as a threat to me."

"Interpret it any way you like. I want that stone, Lex. You can see yourself out."

******

Clark answered the phone on the second ring. "Hello, Kent Farm here."

"Clark, be careful." Lex's voice was tense. 

Clark was thrown off guard. "I thought you were mad at me."

"I am. But you need to look out. Genevieve Teague is after the stones. She might go after you to threaten me."

"So Lana's in trouble too, then." Before Lex could respond, Clark hung up the phone and started running. His super hearing kicked in, picking up the sound of Lex cursing somewhere on the outskirts of Metropolis. He then heard Lex trying to phone Lana, but no one answered.

Clark tried to filter his super hearing on Lana's voice, but after a year's practice at tuning her out, he could no longer do so. He arrived at the Talon, and looked around for her to no avail. He noticed there seemed to be more out-of-towners than normal seated around the café, and wondered if Lana was under surveillance. Or was he was just being paranoid? No, all his instincts told him trouble was afoot.

Clark left the Talon and tried to focus his hearing on Chloe instead. Despite the argument between them, he knew Chloe would drop everything to help him track down their mutual friend. This time, his attempt to focus was successful – doubly so. Chloe and Lana were together at Chloe's apartment, discussing what to pack for the rapidly upcoming expedition. Clark again started running.

Even as he arrived at the building, Clark could see he was too late. Two strange men were speeding away in an unmarked car, and Clark could see flames glowing on the third floor where the Sullivan apartment was located. The fire was spreading quickly and Clark hadn't a moment to waste.

For Clark, the world shifted into slow motion as he reacted to the emergency. He jumped and landed on a third floor balcony. He entered the apartment and was temporarily blinded by clouds of smoke. Startled into taking a deep breath, he could practically taste the gasoline that soaked the room. All around, he could hear the frames roaring with voracious intensity. There were a series of loud thumps as furniture started to collapse, and a whoosh as some curtains took fire.

But one important sound was missing. Clark adjusted his vision to compensate for the smoke and tried to locate the fire detector – it was disabled. So too was the fire alarm in the corridor outside the apartment – the arsonists had been thorough. Clark zoomed down to the second floor to pull the fire alarm there. Shouts rang out as people responded to the danger.

Clark returned to the fire and tried to supress it by forming a vortex to deprive it of oxygen. It had worked in Lex's study a few months back, but here there were too many walls and too much flammable material. The fire continued to grow with amazing speed, now spilling down the corridor and into the nearest apartments.

A scream broke into Clark's concentration. He looked around to see a woman who had tried to reach the fire escape, only to have the fire close in on her. The woman's eyes, at first wild with fear, glazed over as she collapsed from the smoke. Clark sprinted towards her and slung her over his shoulder. He whisked her to safety and hastily smothered the flames that were licking at her body. The woman's clothes and hair were singed, and her breathing was compromised but she would live. 

Clark then switched to his X-ray vision. The Sullivan apartment was right next to the fire but fortunately Lana and Chloe were already moving down the fire escape. Nobody else was in immediate danger.

The fire department had just arrived so Clark left them to take care of the situation. When Lana and Chloe stumbled out of the building, he ran forward and gave both girls a hug. He closed his eyes and gave thanks that he had been warned in time.

"We need to talk to Lex," he said. "He'll know what to do."

*******

Lex found himself back in the Teague penthouse mere hours after he had left. He struggled to contain his anger but it was hard. If Clark hadn't arrived when he did, who knows how many lives would have been lost in the fire. As it was, the Sullivans had been burned out of their home. Gabe was furious – blaming a Smallville mutant for the attack – and had vowed to leave Smallville immediately and never set foot in it again. He and Chloe had argued vehemently when she refused to leave with him. Chloe had been left at the Kent Farm, literally sobbing on Martha's shoulder.

As for Lana, she'd returned to her apartment only to find it ransacked. Someone had obviously been searching for one of the stones. Lex could only wonder at what Genevieve had been thinking.

Lex thought back to his arrival in Smallville earlier that night. Clark had been waiting at the mansion with Chloe, Gabe and Lana, and had quickly explained the situation. Lex had ushered them into the library and called for comfort food, but there was little comfort to be had. The fight between the Sullivans had been devastating to witness. It was hard to watch a family fall apart but Lex had felt singularly incapable of doing anything to stop it.

Then after Clark had left with Chloe, Lana had nearly collapsed. She had been frightened, confused and angry, not to mention guilty at getting Chloe involved in the situation. Jason had finally arrived and had tried to deny his family's involvement, which turned Lana's anger into fury. The two had fought bitterly before Jason convinced Lana that he at least was innocent. Lex had also been convinced and had earned Lana's gratitude by inviting them both to stay the night in one of the guest rooms. He'd also declined Lana's tearful offer to back out of the rafting trip. Soon Lana would no longer be Genevieve's main target.  

After keeping him waiting, Genevieve finally entered the room. Lex held up a bottle of wine that had been sitting on the bar. "It's a 1961 Bordeaux." He gave a snort. "I am honored."

"Well, I assume your visit means I have cause to celebrate."

"Don't all my visits deserve to be celebrated, Genevieve?"

"Some more than others."

Lex snorted again and poured out two glasses of wine. He handed one glass to Genevieve and savoured the aroma of the other. "Mmmm."

Genevieve demanded, "Do you have something for me?"

"I most certainly do." He raised his glass and offered a toast, "To the resolution of our problem." 

Genevieve took a small sip in response. "Mmm..."

Lex lowered his glass and practically purred in satisfaction. "Friendship – it's an interesting phenomenon, isn't it? The lengths we go to... to protect our friends. No limits."

"What are you…?" Genevieve's voice cut off as she suddenly struggled for breath. She collapsed to the floor.

Lex was grim. "The wine you've just drunk will kill you in a matter of minutes. I'm told that the pain will be excruciating. How about a trade? You give me the stone that you stole from Bridgette Crosby, and I give you... the antidote." 

Genevieve gazed up at him desperately. 

Lex added, "One more thing – you go near my friends, and anything that happens to them happens to you. Is that understood?" 

Genevieve nodded frantically and Lex continued, "The stone, Genevieve. Where is it?"

Lex left minutes later with the stone tucked into his breast pocket. He took no joy in his victory, if it could be called such. But how else could you deal with someone as relentless as Genevieve Teague? How could he keep his friends safe?

*******

 **May 19, 2005 (Commencement**[iii] )  
  
Clark was dreaming of dragons. 

They were beautiful creatures, glistening like jewels in the afternoon sky. Each was the size of a whale, but far more stream-lined – designed for the sky instead of the sea. Their enormous wing spans allowed them to glide and ride thermals to dizzying heights. He longed to join their play but felt chained to the Earth. 

One of the dragons went into a deep dive then swooped down along the ground with a booming roar. The people around him scattered in fear but Clark smiled instead – the dragon only meant to help. It was telling him to let go. To join them, he only had to… Only had to…

"Clark, wake up! Come on, we're going to be late!"

Clark reluctantly opened his eyes to see Chloe looking down at him. She gave his shoulders a shake and added, "I thought you farmboys always got up with the sun. But your mom let you sleep in – it's almost noon!" Chloe seemed faintly scandalized.

Clark stretched and looked out the window of the loft where he'd been sleeping. Chloe was exaggerating, but the sun was well up in the sky. "Yeah, Lex and I were up late trying to figure out what to do about the Teagues. He still wants to declare all-out war, but I don't know if that'll help. Lionel sure managed to do enough damage even after we got him arrested last year."

"So there's still no way to link them to the fire?"

"Afraid not. The police said something last night about the 'signature' being familiar, but they don't have any leads. And everybody ran out of the Talon when they heard about the fire, so there were no witnesses to that break in either. But Lex has Mrs. Teague under surveillance at least." Clark wanted to disapprove of the invasion of privacy, but couldn't think of anything better.

"And Jason? I know Lana was having her doubts about him, but they seem pretty close again."

"Yeah, she insists he's not involved, and not even Lex can prove otherwise. So… He's still coming on the trip, unless you put your foot down.

Chloe shook her head. "He doesn't set off my weirdar, Clark. And he doesn't strike me as the type for subterfuge." 

Clark nodded and then cleared his throat awkwardly. "Ummm, speaking of your weirdar, I never said it before and I should have. I'm sorry, Chloe. I shouldn't have lost my temper at Prom like that. But…" His voice trailed off.

Chloe gave him a quick hug. "I kind of guessed when you invited me into your home. And I'm sorry too. I'd rehearsed telling you that I knew a hundred times and it never went like that."

Clark hugged her back. "I hated arguing with you. I couldn't believe the things I was saying even when I was saying them."

"It happens that way sometimes – friends argue and say things they don't mean. Or worse, they blurt out all the things that have been bugging them for years in the worst possible way. But they get through it."

"What if they don't?" asked Clark, thinking of Lex.

"Then try harder," quipped Chloe.

"Now you're starting to sound like my dad!"

Chloe laughed. "Oh no, not that!" She continued in a more serious tone, "I love you, you know. Just like an adopted-mutant-almost-brother." 

Clark sobered. "No Chloe, I'm not a mutant." He paused and added softly, "I'm not human at all. Does that change things?"

Chloe smiled with delight. "How could it? That's amazing, Clark! So, alien?"

Clark smiled back gratefully. "Yeah. Or as I prefer to put it, intergalactic traveller."

Chloe beamed. "You… doofus. Here I've been looking forward to meeting an alien for my entire life, and now – I find myself distinctly underwhelmed. You're not at least hiding a few tentacles, are you?"

"Sorry to disappoint, Chloe – not a tentacle in sight. But I do sometimes float in my sleep."

Chloe sighed happily. "That is so cool." She glanced down at her watch and gave a dismayed yelp. "Yikes, it's getting late. Hurry up and get dressed!"

Clark smiled as she practically ran back to the farm house. She was recovering slowly from the dual shock of the fire and her father's desertion. Clark could understand why Mr. Sullivan had wanted to leave town – how many times had he felt the same? But he couldn't understand how a father could be so stubborn as to refuse to come back for his daughter's graduation day.

Fortunately his parents had stepped into the breach, welcoming Chloe like a long-lost daughter. The house was crowded but had never felt more like home. Clark almost regretted that they'd be leaving tomorrow to start the trip. _Almost_. Clark grinned as he remembered the last practice session with Karyn on the Met U whitewater course. It had been exhilarating. All of Karyn's lessons had suddenly clicked into place, and he'd found himself pivoting and edging and flipping his way around the course with the best of them. Even Karyn had been impressed.

A shout from his father brought him back to matters at hand. He quickly dressed into his Sunday best and started struggling with the tie. Why did he always find them so elusive? His hands just felt too big for the task. He sighed and decided to leave the tie until later – no doubt bossy Lois would oblige.

By the time he entered the kitchen, everyone else had already started eating, with Shelby watching hopefully from the floor for a dropped morsel. A chorus of voices welcomed him and started teasing him about skipping out on his chores. Lois handed him a muffin and mocked his outfit. Chloe loyally intervened on his behalf and the two started bickering about her clothes instead. Martha then joined in – she'd helped rebuild Chloe's wardrobe as best she could, and had done a stunning job on the graduation dress. Jonathan made a small comment and suddenly became the focus of all eyes. Martha told him to change his shirt to match up with the rest of their sartorial splendour. Grinning, Jonathan obeyed.

Clark filled his plate and joined in the banter. He'd never felt more grateful towards his adopted parents, taking in three strays (four counting Shelby) and forging them into a family. He owed everything to them and all they wanted in return was for him to be happy. He vowed once again to be worthy of their trust.

******

Lex looked around the board room and reviewed the emergency protocols yet again. His senior management team looked both eager and nervous – eager at the chance to prove themselves in his upcoming absence, nervous at the danger of events spiralling out of control.

"Remember, I'm off on vacation for three weeks. I'll be briefly checking in each night but I really don't want to hear about business problems – I want to enjoy myself. So use your judgement. Handle anything you know you can handle, put off anything that can safely be delayed. But don't make the mistake of trying to bury something that actually does need my attention." 

In most companies, the CEO could readily take a vacation by delegating his duties. But with LuthorCorp, Lionel had centralized power so much that the lower level managers had forgotten how to actually run the business. Even now, Lex wasn't sure who could be trusted to display good judgement and who was merely good at office politics. And yet Lex couldn't simply clean house as he was sometimes tempted – the company was simply too complex. It would be a long, slow process to ensure that the proper checks and balance were put in place. 

Lex took a deep breath and forced himself to let go. "That's it, gentlemen, ladies. I'll see you in June." He shook hands and headed out.

Karyn was waiting for him in the garage. She ran through the checklist and itinerary with him one last time and gave an excited farewell. She was driving straight to Lee's Ferry in the van she was using to transport the kayaks. Lex had a few stops to make along the way.

It took Lex just over an hour to reach Smallville – not exactly a record but far faster than his chauffeur would have made it. Despite all the chiding he had received over the years, Lex still did like to drive fast. The car he was driving, a Porsche Cayenne Turbo, might look like an SUV but it definitely performed like a sports car – a sports car with legroom and room for luggage that is.

Lex arrived at Smallville High just before the ceremony began. He stood at the back until Martha noticed him and waved him to the seat next to her. Somewhat grudgingly, Jonathan made way for him and then surprised Lex by starting up a conversation. Jonathan had originally been reluctant about the trip, but had warmed to the idea when he saw how engaged Clark and the girls were by the kayaking lessons. Lex got the impression that the elder Kents were now wishing they too could spare the time to join the expedition.

"Hush," admonished Martha. "It's starting."

The ceremony was simple but surprisingly moving for Lex. Lionel had never attended any of his graduations, most of which had been stiff, formal events. This one was different. He had met, at least briefly, most of the students at various events over the past years, and could appreciate the effort they'd put into graduating – especially given the astonishing destruction they'd all faced over the past few years. And it was good to see the townspeople greet each name with a cheer. 

"Clark Kent," intoned the announcer. Clark stepped forward, grinning widely. Lex supressed the urge to laugh – the graduation cap definitely did not suit Clark's face. Lex joined the Kents in their applause while Lois gave a loud whistle. It was over too quickly.

Later, Clark stood with Chloe and Lana while Martha shot a seemingly endless series of graduation photos. Lois kept everyone laughing with her quips.

Lex walked over to Jonathan. "Chloe seems to be recovering nicely. I was worried after the fire." He repressed the urge to offer the Kents some money to help with replacing Chloe's possessions.

Jonathan nodded proudly and then turned to Lex. "Is it safe?"

"Excuse me, sir?"

"Will the trip be safe? Clark tried to explain what's going on with that Teague woman but it didn't make much sense to either of us. But he did say that you said she was more dangerous than Lionel, which means I don't want her in the same state as my family."

Lex wondered how much Clark had actually shared with Jonathan – certainly not everything, or Jonathan would never be acting so cordially towards him. He equivocated. "Genevieve Teague is definitely a dangerous woman. But she loves her son. I don't think she'll attack while he's with Lana." 

"So you're using Jason as a shield?" Jonathan gave a grimace of distaste.

 _Only because Clark vetoed more direct action_ , thought Lex. Aloud, he explained, "And I have her under surveillance. She can't make a move without me hearing about it." 

Clark came up behind them. "Yeah, dad. And if she does come after us, we'll be able to see her coming for miles. It's safer that way."

 _Because Clark doesn't have to worry about collateral damage_ , Lex thought. He could see the same thought occur to Jonathan, who then shot him a wary glance. Lex gave his most innocuous look in reply. He saw Clark stifle a grin. 

Suddenly Lex felt a healthy amount of his anger at Clark dissolve. Yes Clark was a liar. But at least he seemed to lie to _everyone_ – even his nearest and dearest – to varying degrees. It wasn't a matter of distrust per se – it must just be a coping mechanism, a way to avoid awkward questions and arguments and, yes, potentially dangerous exposure. Lex could respect that.

Too bad Clark was such a _bad_ liar – it offended Lex's sense of _comme il faut_. Maybe he should give him lessons.  
  


*******

  


* * *

[i] Spirit in all its crack glory takes place pretty much unchanged – 'Martha' lip-syncing to La La, 'what would the senior prom be without a body-snatching prom queen?', 'the crown is mine, bitch', all the good stuff. But there's no hint of Clark still moping after Lana. And the band is Remy Zero, playing Perfect Memory amongst their other hits.

[ii] Don't worry, no exploding babies here! The high school gang spend all their spare time this week training for the upcoming kayak expedition. But Lex has a stone to recover, taking over the role of Lionel in canon Ageless.

[iii] In the week between chapters, Clark, Chloe and Lana were trapped in the fake high school as in canon!Forever. But Genevieve does NOT attack Lex to recover the stone, since Lex has her under close surveillance. Genevieve also does not attack Lana and thus the second meteor shower is not triggered.


	5. Running West

  


#  Chapter 4 – Running West

> The black stream, catching a sunken rock,  
>  Flung backward on itself in one white wave,  
>  And the white water rode the black forever,  
>  Not gaining but not losing, like a bird  
>  \- Robert Frost

**May 20-22, 2005** ****

When planning the drive to the Grand Canyon, Lex had chosen the most scenic route. The results were nearly overwhelming for a farmboy who, ignoring an intergalactic journey of millions of light years, had seldom left his home state. 

They left early on a perfect day in late May, Jason and Lana in one car, the rest of them in the other. Clark was thrilled when Lex tossed him the keys and challenged him to put the Porsche through its paces. Then he had to sit white-knuckled when Lois had insisted on her turn. Grudgingly, he had to admit that she'd handled it well. 

They travelled west through hundreds of miles of familiar Kansas farmland, which gradually gave way to ranches sprawling amongst the foothills of eastern Colorado. Clark, so used to the limitless vistas of his home state, felt vaguely disoriented whenever they descended into a valley and the horizon narrowed to only a few miles. But from the hilltops, the views of the fast approaching Rocky Mountains had been stupendous. 

They stopped for the night in Denver, where Lex had shown them around the LoDo district, pointing out the most famous historical buildings and expounding on the colorful characters who'd once populated the saloons and brothels. They had dinner at one of the numerous sidewalk cafés and did a little shopping. Clark bought himself a vibrant blue and white plaid shirt – a vintage western design – that Lois said was all too likely to cause epileptic seizures.

"It's like strobe lighting," she said. "The way the color keeps fading in and out."

"But it's perfect," protested Clark. "Don't you love the horseshoes? And the snaps are so neat. And it matches my favorite jacket."

"Burn them both," advised Lois.

They almost had to drag Chloe out of the Tattered Cover Book Store. She'd been in heaven browsing through the eclectic collection and exultantly showed off her find. "It's a sequel to my favourite book," she said. "Remember, Clark?" 

"Tales of the Weird and Unexplained," he confirmed. It had been the day they'd met: Chloe had lost her copy but he'd managed to replace it, thanks to a little superspeed. 

"Yeah. This one focuses on tales from the southwest." She showed them chapters on familiar stories like Roswell and many older myths going back long before the arrival of Columbus.

Lex had been the perfect host, pleased by both the sights themselves and everyone else's reactions. But he'd never seemed so distant to Clark – polite, yes, but approachable, no. Clark tried several times to start a conversation on the geology or history of the area but Lex, normally so voluble on such topics, quickly shut him down. Clark went to sleep feeling frustrated by the standoff.

Next day, they drove up Mount Evans to admire the view from 14,000 feet. The air was so thin that they had to cut short a hike when Jason started to experience altitude sickness. They then continued across the continental divide and started descending. They made a brief stop in Golden to soak up the Old West feel, and again in Grand Junction where the Colorado River doubled in size when joined by the Gunnison River. Here, the landscape changed dramatically – they were now in the high desert, and the forests on the higher slopes of the Rockies gave way to cactus and brush.

They continued west into Utah, where the Colorado started to carve a torturous route through the desert. They turned south towards Arches National Park, where they drove past the Courthouse Towers and Petrified Dunes and Rock Pinnacles and the Window, before hiking down to Double Arch. Clark quickly ran out of words to describe the sights and inside just soaked in the atmosphere. He'd never seen anything like the delicate arches formed by the wind, especially as the sun started to set and the rocks took on ever more dramatic hues. 

They all shot plenty of pictures, especially Lana, who had designated herself the official trip photographer. She was in artistic heaven as she directed everyone to stand here, move there. With one shot, she posed Clark with his arms in the air and a large arch in the background. When she showed them the resulting photograph, it looked like Clark was weightlifting, with the pillars of the arch acting as his weights.

"How close is that to the truth?" asked Lex, speaking to Clark for the first time that day. "Lifting the arch I mean."

Clark looked at him and then the arch. "The arch would break first, before I could get the rest of it in the air."

Lex had grunted and wandered away.

They then headed to the campground, where they stayed up late to admire the heavens. In the desert air and far from city lights, the stars shone brilliantly, the red of Arcturus contrasting strongly with the pure white of Spica. Clark pointed out the constellations and Lex shared the related myths from cultures all over the world. Then Lex dragged out the telescope that he'd brought for just this purpose. Delighted, Clark focussed first on Jupiter, and then moved on to the Virgo Cluster of galaxies. According to Dr. Swann, he'd come from a humble star in M66, part of the Leo triplet. Clark felt a twinge of sadness as he searched the area, but tried to shake it off when Lois demanded her turn at the scope. Sensitive to his mood, Chloe leaned her head on his shoulder as they watched the moon start to rise. Lex looked at him searchingly and advised everyone to turn in for the night.

On the last day of their drive, they continued heading south into Arizona, and then turned westward once more. The desert seemed endless and utterly desolate.

Then the land started to change. They were forced to turn north by a currently dry creek that had gouged deep into the bedrock. As they continued north, they saw an ever growing maze of side canyons and dry creek beds. But the Colorado itself was hidden from sight until suddenly they were crossing the Navajo Bridge. They'd made it.

Lex stopped the car and they all got out to peer down into Marble Canyon, the easternmost portion of the Grand Canyon. At this point, they were only 4 miles west of the start of the canyon, but the river had already bored down more than 450 feet. The cliffs in this section were almost sheer, made of successive layers of sandy red limestone accented by narrow bands of white, gray and purple. The river itself was browner than Clark had expected, especially along the sides, and showed few signs of life beyond some grey-green scrub. Chloe was filled with questions, which Lex patiently answered. Clark asked some questions of his own about the rock formations, but Lex's replies were curt – no, there were no dinosaur bones here. 

They got back in the car and made one last turn, eastbound, to Lee's Ferry. There they were greeted by Karyn, who introduced them to the last member of their expedition, Charity.

"Or Bitty for short," said Karyn with a grin.

"Because I'm not," added Bitty. Indeed, Bitty was nearly six feet tall, with black hair, brown eyes and dark brown skin covering a stout, well-muscled body. She gave Clark the impression of a coiled spring, and he wasn't surprised to hear that she normally worked as a part of the LuthorCorp close protection team. She was also a rowing enthusiast and would be in charge of their supply raft. Lex was obviously measuring her up, and seemed satisfied by what he saw.

Karyn quickly showed them around, urging them to check out buildings dating back to the old west. Before the Navajo Bridge had been built, Lee's Ferry was the only place where you could cross the Colorado for nearly seven hundred miles. There'd once been a thriving ferry business here (hence the name). Now it was known mainly as the start for all full length Grand Canyon river expeditions.

The boat launch area was busy as several commercial expeditions were preparing their rafts for the next day. After a raft was rigged and launched, it was moved downstream where the loading was completed. Nearby was a campground where they would spend the night before getting an early start the next day. Karyn let them absorb the atmosphere for a few minutes before assigning tasks. Bitty was placed in charge of rigging the raft, while the rest of them were kept busy fetching and carrying supplies.

A ranger soon came by to start his inspection of their required equipment. They each had to put on their lifejacket and adjust the fit so it was comfortably snug. Clark nearly panicked when he couldn't find one of the right size, and then realized Lana had taken his by mistake. She'd pulled all the buckles as tight as she could but it had still dwarfed her. Laughing, they straightened things out and moved on with the inspection. Condition of the supply raft and kayaks – check; oars and rescue equipment – check; repair kits, first aid kits, emergency communication equipment – check, check, check. 

There was a hiccup though when the ranger came to one particular item on the checklist – the 'human waste carry-out system'. The seat of the LeoLet (LuthorCorp eco-friendly outdoor toilet) looked like a scaled up version of a children's potty – as Karyn put it, all the magic was in the other components. There was a portable privacy screen, a large waste storage tank that would be left in the raft throughout the trip, a portable storage tank that slotted under the toilet seat, and most important of all, a purifying canister that slotted into the back. LuthorCorp had managed to get the prototype certified by the National Park System and other government agencies, but the ranger was unconvinced. He was concerned the 'newfangled critters' in the canister that helped break down the waste might get out and harm the environment. Karyn produced a seemingly endless set of documents to prove the contrary, but seemed to be making little headway.

Lex and Clark listened to the debate while continuing their current chore – filling the water casks. "Are you going to step in?" asked Clark.

Lex shrugged. "If I get involved, things can get messy in a hurry. She's handling it."

Karyn suddenly changed tactics. She first filled the LeoLet with some water, and then heaved it at the side of the ranger hut. She then picked up an oar and started whacking away. Finally, she picked up the LeoLet and presented it to the ranger. It hadn't leaked – it didn't even have a scratch. 

"Not quite how I would have dealt with the matter," said Lex with amusement.

"Yeah, that's more my style," agreed Clark. 

Lex snorted, but then gave Clark a glare. "I'm still mad at you."

Clark shrugged and stifled a grin. The ranger was satisfied and moved on with the inspection.

******

**May 23, 2005** ****

They heard it long before they saw it – a hissing sound, mixed with the occasional gurgle and pop. Their trip along the Colorado was encountering its first major obstacle – Badger Creek Rapid. 

They got out to scout the rapid and Karyn pointed out the optimal route – follow the tongue right down the middle of the river. On the right edge of the tongue was a large hole, and there were lots of rocks on both sides of the river to worry about too. To further complicate matters, the entrance to the rapid bended to the left, which tended to push boats to the right, and into the hole.

Lex and his companions were all far more excited than alarmed – this is what they'd been looking forward to throughout the mostly flat portion that marked the first seven miles of the canyon. They'd taken it easy that morning, at times just floating with the current, and were ready for adventure.

Karyn smiled at their enthusiasm. "Okay guys, once you get past the hole, you can relax and really have some fun with this one. But take your time at the beginning, because that hole can easily flip a raft, much less a kayak. You've all heard this before, but until you get caught up in a hole, you have no idea how big a deal it can be. The hydraulics can be just unbelievable, spinning you around in place. So remember: if you can't get out, try rolling up in a ball so you sink down into the river current. And once you do get out, start swimming hard to the middle of the river, away from the rocks. Got it?"

Everyone nodded in agreement and Karyn continued, "Great! So I'm going to go first to show you the line. Then I want Clark and Lex to follow so they can help with a rescue in case of trouble. Girls," she said turning to Chloe, Lois and Lana, "whatever you do, don't pay attention to anything Clark does. He's strong enough to make a mistake and get himself out of it and even make it look like the right thing to do. Us ladies, we don't have that luxury. Watch Lex instead. He's pretty good – and I'm not just saying that because he's the boss of my boss's boss!"

While Karyn tucked herself back into the kayak and Lana lined up the video camera to film the run, Lex took the opportunity to pull Bitty aside. "So. A LuthorCorp bodyguard whose favourite hobby is rafting – what are the odds?"

Bitty kept her eyes on Karyn while responding. "First thing when my boss heard about this trip, she called me into the office. Told me I had a new hobby. Got me some training. Introduced me to Karyn." Bitty glanced at Lex then turned back to watching Karyn. "No way was she letting you go on this trip unprotected."

Lex grimaced. "And your loyalties? Are they to me, or to your boss?"

"You of course – it’s the only way it works. Otherwise, you start running around behind my back and get yourself hurt."

Lex nodded. "Okay, but you have to play by my rules. My friends – they're off limits. You talk to no one about anything you see around me, not your boss, not the police, no one. When in doubt, play dumb and come talk to me. Can you deal with that?"

Bitty blinked, and then gave him a firm handshake. "Deal."

An excited yell from Chloe turned their attention back to the river. Karyn was starting her run, paddling strongly towards the rapid. For the first few yards, the center of the river remained calm while waves started to boil on either side. This was the tongue that Karyn had referred to in the briefing. She powered through it and past the hole on the right, and then entered the main section of the rapids. It wasn't very long but it was intense, with waves that made the kayak look insignificant. Occasionally hidden from sight, Karyn dodged and dipped and weaved her way through the waves. Near the end of the rapid, she pivoted the kayak, paddled upstream and started to play in one of the standing waves. She did a few rolls, and then pulled an ender, dipping the front of the kayak into the wave so the boat went vertical. She then twisted her body and the boat responded by performing a pirouette. On the shore, Lex and his companions cheered loudly at the display.

Clark went next and Lex watched his progress while preparing for his own run. Clark hit the tongue dead centre, but the curve of the river pushed him right. Clark didn't react in time and the kayak hit the edge of the hole. The boat swerved right as the current on one side tried to push it forward while the hole tried to lock it in place. Clark responded by rolling the boat, using the weight shift to break the hole's grip. He headed back to the middle of the river and attacked the wave train with characteristic power. He too pivoted around to surf the last standing wave for a few moments before being kicked out.

 _My turn_ , thought Lex as he started to paddle forward. The noise from the rapid quickly grew as he neared it and Lex felt the rest of the world fade away. For this moment, there was nothing but the river and the canyon it had formed. He entered the tongue in the perfect position and avoided Clark's mistake by staying to the centre, even as the river tried to push him right. Then he neared the first wave and made some small maneuvers to hit it head on. He started climbing, briefly rode the crest, and then fell down the wave to the trough. He then had to immediately adjust to meet the next wave. 

Even after all their training and the scouting session, the height and complexity of the rapid took him by surprise. These weren't ocean waves, building slowly in a predictable fashion. These were standing waves, created when turbulence caused the river to flow backwards onto itself. The waves formed at random angles, and were much larger than they looked from the shore. Lex had to really fight to maintain his course. It was exhilarating.

Up, down, adjust, up, down, adjust… The wave train seemed endless until he found himself climbing one last wave and could see beyond to the eddy where Karyn and Clark were waiting. Lex fell down the wave, pulled a 180 to face the boat upstream and paddled forward to re-enter the wave. Karyn (and of course Clark) had made it look easy, but it was not. Lex could only make slow progress against the current and started to feel his energy flag. But then he suddenly found the spot where there was a perfect balance between the current in one direction and the wave action in the other. Like a surfer, he could now ride the wave – side to side, up and down. And this wave never broke – he could ride it as long as he maintained the right position.

Lex played in the wave until, of all things, he started to feel a chill. Though it was nearly 90 degrees outside, Lex was thoroughly soaked by the spray of the rapid and the water was _cold._ He pulled into the eddy and reached into the kayak's foot locker for his rain jacket – he would definitely remember to wear it on the next rapid. Looking down at his watch, he was astonished to find that his entire run had taken less than three minutes. Time definitely seemed to flow differently on the river.

The rest followed in short order. The girls all made it through without fuss, though only Lois had managed to make the turn back into the last wave for some playboating. Jason caused the biggest concern when, in trying to avoid the eddy on the right, he had gone too far left and had skated perilously close to the rocks. But Jason had kept his cool and came through with only a few scrapes on the kayak. Karyn congratulated them all on a job well done and started moving them downstream.

The pattern– paddle for a few miles, scout, and then run – repeated itself twice more before they stopped at Hot-Na-Na for the night. Just downstream they could hear the rumble of House Rock Rapid – one of the most formidable challenges they would face on the first week of their journey – and Karyn wanted everyone well rested. They quickly divided up the chores and fell to setting up camp.

They set up their tents in a spot halfway between the riverbank and the canyon walls to protect themselves from the equal possibilities of a flash flood or rock fall. The Colorado River may have been somewhat tamed by the numerous dams built across its length, but it could still be deadly under the wrong conditions.

Lex chose to do the cooking and surprised everyone with a very passable meal – poached salmon, asparagus and potatoes – finished off with strawberries and cream. Then Lex relaxed by the fire while Clark and Lana did the dishes – a surprisingly complex and time consuming task. 

Chloe ambled up and sat down next to him. After fidgeting for a few minutes, she asked, "What's up with you and Clark? You've hardly said a word to him all trip, and when you do, you then look mad at yourself for breaking the silence. And then he gets that hurt puppy dog look."

"And you want to make everything better."

Chloe shrugged, "Sure, why not? It's better than holding a grudge."

Lex felt like he had a right to hold his grudge, if so mild a word was adequate for the situation. Clark had deceived him for years, and the lies had hurt people. _Of course_ , said the voice he was learning to call his conscience, _so too did some of_ my _lies_.

Chloe let the silence stretch and Lex was reminded of his impression from several months ago when she'd been dealing with Clark's amnesia: _she knows something_. He eyed her speculatively. Chloe smiled calmly in response and started reading her book in the rapidly fading light. Silently, Lex stared into the fire.

*******

**May 24, 2005** ****

They were now in the Roaring Twenties, a series of about ten rapids in as many miles. And that count didn't include the first rapid of the day, House Rock, which had a long and storied history as a raft flipper. The river there did a hard right turn and all the water fed into two large holes on the outside of the curve. Karyn stressed once again the importance of keeping clear. A hole, she explained, is a bit like an underwater wave. Water just keeps recirculating around within it, kind of like a giant washing machine. The worst part is the undertow that pulls swimmers down, and just won't let go. The relatively lucky ones bob up and down close to the surface so they can grab a breath now and then. A strange kind of luck also favours those who sink to the bottom of the river, since the current there will often push them out of the hole. But truly unlucky are those who get trapped in the middle depths, where they can easily become completely disoriented while fighting a losing battle to reach the surface.

Although they'd made it through safely, it had required a lot more precision than the earlier rapids. They'd actually had to position the kayaks sideways to the current so they could maintain their line. This made it hard to maintain the kayak's balance when they were hit by a wave, and there'd been many a roll. Even Clark had felt a little tired by the end of the run, if only from holding his breath in concern while his friends were underwater.

Compared with that experience, the Roaring Twenties were relatively straightforward. But Karyn still insisted on thoroughly scouting each rapid, even though many other expeditions, especially ones in the large motorized rafts, just plowed through most of them. Those expeditions seemed to be racing through the canyon, and would be finished in a week or less. Clark preferred the pace Karyn was setting, which gave him a chance to look around and admire the scenery.

Contrary to his initial impression from Navajo Bridge, the canyon was far from desolate. Wildlife abounded, even if a lot of it seemed to be snakes and lizards, not to mention scorpions and mice and midges and flies and fire ants. But he'd already spotted some coyote, a spotted skunk and a beaver, and was pretty sure he'd seen a bald eagle circling high overhead earlier that day. Yesterday at sunset, flocks of bats had descended from the cliffs to feast on the insects – it had been an amazing sight. And was that a bighorn sheep high up on the canyon walls?

Karyn thumped him on the shoulder to get back his attention. "Okay, guys, listen up. This one's called Mile 23 or Indian Dick – it's not even included on a lot of lists because it's really straightforward. Just keep to the left. The only problem is a blind hole at the bottom right. Repeat after me: stay left!"

Clark grinned and joined the chorus, "Stay left." He quickly adjusted his gear and then moved his boat to form a line for those waiting to enter the rapid. Karyn, who normally went first, waved him ahead while she helped Bitty tie down some equipment that was working its way loose.

Clark paddled forward and entered the rapid on the left. As Karyn had said, it was a simple run. But it was also a fun rapid because you could just enjoy the river rather than having to focus on complex maneuvers. Clark practiced his edge control while maneuvering through the waves, and then tried his hand at some basic freestyle moves. All too soon though, it was over. Clark pulled into the eddy at the end of the rapid, pulled off his lifejacket and leaned back in the kayak to enjoy the sun. 

After a brief pause, Lex joined him with a curt nod, followed by Lois then Chloe. Chloe, though grinning widely, was red in the face from the heat. Lois's solution was to start splashing her to stay cool, and Clark soon joined in the fun. Lex loftily ignored them until he suddenly pulled a surprise attack on Clark. The three teenagers eyed Lex warily and decided discretion was the better part of valour. They put down their paddles and reached into their foot lockers for water and a snack.

There was a brief lull, and then Clark saw Lana come around the bend. She was glancing backwards and Clark soon saw she was followed by a large raft, moving fast. Clark realized that the guide on the raft hadn't stopped to scout, and had also ignored the queue of boats waiting to enter the rapid. The raft was now almost on top of the kayak. Both boats swerved to avoid collision. 

Lana swerved left to avoid the hole. She would have been fine except the wash from the raft's engine tipped her kayak sideways. She rolled and did not come up.

Meanwhile, the raft swerved right. But suddenly it stopped as if it had hit a wall, spun wildly and flipped to the side, sending all of its occupants into the water. The fortunate ones were hurled through the air and managed to avoid the hole completely. They were struggling in the current and risked slamming into rocks, but at least they could move freely. Those in the hole had no such luck. 

Clark and his friends were frozen for a second watching the accident happen. Clark's first reaction was to help, but who, and how?

In the next moment, Clark spotted Karyn paddling furiously through the rapid. He was astonished by her speed – he'd never realized how much she'd been holding back. She yelled something at them, and then disappeared around the next bend.

"What'd she say," asked Lois. "I couldn't hear."

"She's going after Lana," said Clark. "She put Lex in charge here."

Lex nodded and immediately started firing off instructions. "Chloe, Lois, go after the swimmers. Get them to shore as soon as possible. There's another rapid just ahead and they're going to get pretty banged up if they swim it." The girls nodded and peeled off. "Clark, you and I will deal with the hole. I know …"

Lex's voice faded as Clark felt his time perception shift – the activity all around him suddenly seemed to move into slow motion. Given a clear objective, he was freed for action. 

He quickly assessed the situation. Fourteen people were originally on the raft – thirteen passengers plus the guide. Nine swimmers. Five in the hole. Three of them are bobbing up and down and weren't in imminent danger. The other guys though…

Clark took a deep breath and deliberately rolled his kayak upside-down. He dropped his paddle and kicked free – the kayak would only hinder his rescue efforts for now. He started swimming underwater, making quick progress until he reached the edge of the hole. Here, the turbulence caused even him difficulty. The motion of the water was chaotic, pushing him first down, then up, right, then left. To compound the matter, he was practically blind – the water was heavy with sediment and light couldn't penetrate far. But slowly, by his standards at least, he made his way forward.

Finally he spotted his target, who Clark mentally named 'Four'. Four was in a panic, trying desperately to avoid the urge to breathe in. Clark reached for the shoulder strap of Four's lifejacket and deftly avoided the flailing limbs. Clark then started swimming in a tight circle, dragging Four behind him. When he'd built enough speed, Clark released Four and physics took over. Like a shot put, Four was thrown up to the surface and far enough away to clear the hole. Clark watched for a moment until Four rolled onto his back, and then moved onto his next target.

Five, who was a girl, was going limp – no time to waste. He grabbed her lifejacket and started swimming underwater towards Lex. Once clear of the hole, he released the girl who started floating to the surface. Clark altered course, picked up his paddle, swam back into the kayak, adjusted his position and rolled back to the surface.

"…  worried about Lana…" Lex's voice broke off. For him, perhaps a second had elapsed – a second that had felt to Clark like many minutes. Clark's roll would have been barely a flicker of motion in the corner of his eye, but Lex's face showed he knew something had happened. 

Five suddenly bobbed to the surface just in front of Lex's kayak. Closer to the shore, Four started coughing.

"First aid or those guys?" Clark gestured with one hand at Four and Five, while the other waved towards the three people still struggling in the hole.

"I'll take the hole," said Lex. He'd already opened his foot locker and now hauled out some rope. "I'll try to drag them out."

"Stay square to the edge," said Clark. He paddled towards Five and pulled her to shore. He jumped out of the kayak and did a quick evaluation. He was relieved to find she still had a pulse, so she didn't need CPR. Clark then checked her airway and removed some debris that had lodged in her throat. He rolled her to her side and leaned down to hear any signs of breathing.

Five's eyes suddenly sprang open and she started to cough. She spit out some water and drew a deep breath. "I thought I was dead," she gasped.

"Ssshhh. Just breathe," said Clark. He reached into his foot locker and pulled out his rain jacket, which he draped around her shoulders. "I'll be back in a second."

He headed towards Four, and helped him make his way out of the water. Then he saw the guide, who was one of those thrown free when the raft flipped, running up the shore towards them. The guide started apologising profusely, but Clark wasn't in the mood to listen. Instead, he told the guide to gather his passengers. Clark then headed back to his kayak to help Lex with the three people still stuck in the hole, and finally towed the raft itself to the shore. 

The crisis seemed to be over, but where was Lana?

"If Karyn didn't catch up in time," said Lex, "Lana would have been washed through the next rapid, and possibly even the next. I find myself wanting to strangle that guide for being so careless." Lex glared at the group on the shore, currently gathering driftwood for a fire. 

"I'm sure you'll satisfy yourself by just ruining his career," said Clark. He wasn't being sarcastic or vengeful – he honestly believed that for putting so many lives in danger, the guide deserved a serious reprimand at the very least. 

Lex nodded firmly. "Let's get out of here."

*******

Almost against his will, Lex had been impressed. When he'd watched the accident unfolding, he'd half expected Clark to go haring off after Lana, ignoring the risk to the passengers of the raft. But Clark had chosen to follow his lead instead, and together they had prevented a tragedy.

Lex remembered his initial impression of the accident. Five people had gone into the hole and two had immediately disappeared from sight. He didn't know _how_ Clark had saved them, but he had. Obviously, Clark moved a lot faster than even Lex had guessed. And he'd been smart too, using the muddiness of the river to hide his actions from anybody watching on the shore.

But somehow, the most gratifying aspect of the whole experience had been when he saw that Clark shared his anger at the guide's actions. Clark's standards were maddening and often unrealistic, but he wasn't inhuman. 

Except that he was. It was confusing.

Lex took a deep breath and brought his thoughts back to the present. He looked over the group of his friends, clumped under the makeshift shelters that they'd rigged against the glare of the midday sun. They were tired, almost too tired to eat, but they were safe.  

It had taken over an hour for the group to reform. Lana had been swept downstream more than a mile, through three separate rapids. After rolling at Indian Dick, she'd fought to right the kayak until she was nearly out of breath. She'd then kicked out only to find herself in the middle of another stretch of whitewater. She'd swum hard to avoid the rocks, but once clear no longer had the energy to get out of the current. Karyn had finally caught up and had thrown her a line, but Lana had missed and instead found herself going over the ledge at Georgie Rapid. Amazingly, she'd come through with hardly a scratch. 

But she hadn't got off scot free. Nearly an hour after finally being pulled out of the water, Lana was still shivering despite the 100 degree heat. Bitty was monitoring her closely and was on the satellite phone with the park's EMT. The situation was serious but not critical. Lana herself was determined to continue on, and Lex had to respect that. They'd decided to take a break while she recovered and were just finishing a quick lunch.

Lex knew he should probably rest too after the morning's exertions, but he couldn't keep still. So he decided to explore the area, examining the canyon walls closely for signs of fossils. He felt soothed by the effort of building up a mental map of the area's complex geological history. 

As he wandered downstream, the sound of the next rapid grew quickly louder. Lex climbed a rock to get a better view and gave a low whistle. Repeated contact with white water didn't diminish the visceral impact – if anything, it made him more aware of the dangers. In this case, there were two holes on the left and then a ledge on the centre-right followed by another hole. 

Clark, who had been trailing behind him for the last few minutes, clambered up beside him and also whistled. "Wow!" He then looked back at the rest of the group and grimaced. "I'd be a lot more excited though if everyone wasn't so tired already."

"Everyone but you of course." Clark's hair was slicked down from the water, but he looked otherwise unaffected by the exertion and oblivious to the temperature changes that so bothered the rest of them. The heat of the sun didn't make him sweat – the cold of the water didn't make him shiver.

Clark looked about to argue, but instead looked up. "Helicopter coming," he said. It was a distant speck in the southwest.

"Probably park rangers checking out the accident," said Lex.

Clark nodded and continued to watch the helicopter.

"I suppose I shouldn't ask about what happened back there," said Lex.

"It's easier if you don't," agreed Clark. "There was an accident. We got everyone out. What else really matters?"

 _God is in the details_ , thought Lex. _So's the devil. I need to know those details so I can figure out which one you are_. But there didn't seem any point into pushing Clark into another lie. 

The silence lingered, broken only by the sound of the helicopter as it passed overhead, and then started to descend near the site of the accident. 

Clark fidgeted. "So… Ummm, how high do you think the cliffs are now?"

Lex rolled his eyes at Clark's avoidance techniques, but decided to play along. If Clark was going to turn into some sort of alien overlord, at least he could be a somewhat educated one. "We're about 2000 feet down from the plateau now," he said. "Kaibab Limestone at the top, then the Toroweap and Coconino Formations – those form the upper cliff. All pretty hard rock. Then where the slope changes, that's the Hermit Shale – nice soft rock, easier for the river to erode so the canyon gets wider. And then the Supai – hard rock again forming the lower cliff. And this," pointing to the lowest band of rock, "is the start of the Redwall Limestone. Know The Canyon's History. Study Rocks Made By Time."

"Huh?"

"It's a mnemonic, Clark, to help you remember the sequence of the main rock layers. Though we haven't reached the MBT yet, not to mention the Pre-Cambrian rocks and the Vishnu Schist."

"Huh?"

Lex suppressed a smile. He did enjoy teaching the farmboy, if only to see the baffled look on his face. "The farther downriver we go, the deeper the canyon, the older the rock you'll see at river level. The stuff on the plateau overhead is 'only' about 200 million years old. Right now, the oldest rock you can see down here is about 300 million years old. But further downstream, the oldest rocks are up to 2 billion years old."

"Huh," grunted Clark. "So…"

Clark broke off at the sound of a raft quickly approaching, laden with passengers and supplies for another expedition. According to the logo, it was from the same company as the boat that had flipped. The guide cut the engine and waved up to them. "You the guys who helped back there?" At Lex's nod, the guide broke out in a brilliant smile. "Way to go, man. We stopped to check them out and they're all just going on and on about their guardian angels. I just wish y'all were going to be around when I get to Crystal – I could use some spotters like you."

Lex smiled politely. "Glad to help but we seem to be moving a bit slower than you."

The guide laughed. "True, true. Anyways, I just wanted to stop and say thanks. Imagine flipping at Indian Dick though! I'll be ragging on Tim for weeks for making such a dumb mistake."

Lex's smile sharpened. "And will you also be 'ragging on' Tim for nearly colliding with one of my friends?" 

The guide grunted. "So that's what happened. Tim really screwed the pooch there. Imagine ignoring a kayak's right of way!" The guide shook his head at one of the cardinal sins of boating.

"So I take it Tim will be in trouble." Lex paused. "Good." By his side, Clark nodded.

The guide's smile faltered for an instant. He cleared his voice. "So, yeah. Oh, and girl back there gave me this," holding up Clark's river jacket. 

"Is she okay?" Clark asked while retrieving the jacket.

"Yeah. Swallowed a lot of water though – medics might want to evac her. Nobody likes that. Lot of money down the drain."

Lex made a decision. "Perhaps you could pass on a message. Tell her that LuthorCorp will help with expenses if she has to leave. Or if she decides to sue."

The guide's smile disappeared. "And just who are you to be saying things like that?"

Lex pulled off his sun cap and gave a shark like grin. "Lex Luthor, that's who." 

The guide's expression told Lex that his name was known even here. The guide nodded jerkily, started up the engine and headed quickly off into the rapid.

Lex sighed, "I'd better warn public relations. News of the accident is going to spread, fast once my name gets attached. All the media outlets who want to get on my good side will be talking about the 'heroic rescue'. Everyone else will find a way to make it my fault."

"Why'd you tell him your name then?" Clark asked. "I thought you were trying to lay low."

"It seemed the right thing to do," said Lex with a shrug. "Wasn't it?"

******


	6. Anasazi

  


#  Chapter 5 – Anasazi

  


> “Beautiful doesn't begin to describe it. A flower is beautiful. But this is beautiful the way that a person is beautiful – terrifying with its jagged edges, yet seductive with its crevices that hide so many secrets.”  
>  \- Jeri Smith-Ready

**May 26, 2005**

"Wow," said Lana. "This is… amazing!"

Clark agreed, though the words were inadequate to describe the view before them. All of the Grand Canyon was impressive, but this was something more – something that took the breath away.

For the last few hours of their journey downstream, the canyon had been very narrow and bends in the river had often made it impossible to see far ahead. Clark had felt almost claustrophobic, as if the canyon walls were falling down on him. It hadn't help that evidence of rock slides was all around him. But then they'd rounded a curve at mile 52 and the horizon had opened up in front of them.

Just ahead on the right, the Colorado was joined by Nankoweap Creek, which had carved out its own side canyon. The Colorado curved gracefully around the delta then meandered gently ahead for a few miles. Somewhat paradoxically, the peaceful view had been created by violent flash floods from the creek, which could dump a year's rainfall into the area in a matter of minutes. One particularly large deluge had set off enormous landslides, widening the canyon in this section.

With a wider canyon, more sunlight could reach the river and there was more room for plants to make a foothold – predominantly cacti, sagebrush and yucca, interspersed with wildflowers. With a reliable supply of food and water, wildlife abounded in the area, although the deer tended to stay clear of the human interlopers. All these factors combined to create a veritable explosion of colour, and made the rock strata stand out more strongly than ever.

Clark had never been one to pay much attention to rocks – his earlier questions to Lex had been intended more as conversation starters than anything else. But suddenly, he was swept up in what an earlier explorer had called 'the most sublime spectacle on Earth.' He and Chloe started pelting Lex with questions, with Lana and Lois eagerly listening in. Lex was obviously gratified by their interest and quickly drew a cross sectional view of the canyon, showing the names and ages of each strata. The oldest rocks in this section dated back to the Cambrian Period, over 550 million years ago. This was the time that life on earth explosively diversified, both in the oceans and for the first time making a solid foothold on land. Inspecting the Tapeats Sandstone, it didn't take them long to find the fossil of a trilobite, one of the most successful early animals. It was tempting to take it as a souvenir, but they all took photographs instead.

Although it was only just past noon, they decided to stop here for the day and explore further. The peaceful sounds – the low gurgle of the river, the rustle of tall grass in the wind, the occasional call of a raven – were broken only on occasion by the distant roar of an aircraft passing high overhead.

As they ate lunch, Karyn read out facts and figures from her guide book, while Chloe shared some juicier stories from her book on Southwestern mysteries.

"Nankoweap is a Paiute word meaning echo or singing," Karyn explained. "I can show you this spot where the reverb effect is really cool."

"It says here that Nankoweap comes from the Paiute word 'ninkuipi', meaning Indians or people killed. The Paiute fought with some Apache around here."

"Anasazi," Karyn quoted, "is actually a Navajo term, meaning 'ancient enemy'. It refers to an ancient Indian culture that lived in a range of structures, including pit houses, pueblos, and cliff dwellings designed so that they could lift entry ladders during enemy attacks."

"They controlled this area for hundreds of years," added Chloe. "Then suddenly they just disappeared. Nobody knows where they went. Some stories say they were taken away by spaceships!"

"They probably just migrated," said Karyn. "Because of a prolonged drought."

"And there's all sorts of legends about them leaving behind a vast treasure!"

"The mythic Seven Cities of Gold," said Karyn, closing her guide book with a snap. "The Spanish drove themselves crazy trying to find them. Believe me, there's nothing of that sort here. But don't despair, Chloe. If you feel up to the climb, we can at least visit the granaries the Anasazi built here."

The granaries were set in a layer of limestone more than 700 feet above river level. Most of the group were eager to make the climb, no matter how daunting it looked. Clark was the last holdout until some relentless teasing led by Lois convinced him to join the 'fun'.

Old fears die hard. After the first hundred feet up the winding path, Clark could only make further progress by focussing his vision on his feet and the rocks just ahead of him. He studiously avoided looking around, and was irritated by the cries from his friends about the amazing scenery. The higher they climbed, the worse his sense of vertigo, compounded now by a ringing sensation in his ears. It was almost like being too near a small chunk of kryptonite.

Finally they reached a level area overlooking the river. To their right ran a narrow path leading to a jumble of rocks that led up to the granaries. Clark took one look at the sheer cliffs and refused to take another step forward. While his companions scrambled up the scree and peered into the granaries, Clark forced himself to look out at the valley. From this vantage point, he had a spectacular view of the canyon walls – 3000 feet tall and practically sheer at times, especially on the far side of the river. Some threatening clouds had swept in while they'd been climbing, but that just served to intensify the colours and atmosphere.

Clark breathed deeply, willing the spinning sensation and ringing in his ears to stop. It did not. He leaned back on the cliff wall, well away from the edge of the plateau and closed his eyes. When the worst of the vertigo stopped, he cautiously opened his eyes and turned to face the cliff, careful not to look down. He gasped in surprise.

"Clark, are you okay?" asked Chloe. "You're looking a bit green."

"This is amazing," said Clark, gently brushing his hand on the rocks in front of him. When Chloe just looked baffled, he added, "Can't you see it?"

Chloe leaned in and shook her head. "Is it a fossil?"

"No, it's a symbol – in Kryptonese. You really can't see it?" To Clark, the symbol was clear, a very deep red contrasting with the brighter red of the cliff.

Chloe shook her head. "Nada."

"It's sort of like a route marker, but it's pointing me up the left, away from the granaries." He looked around. "Chloe, I have to check it out. Is there any way for you to clear everyone out of here?"

Chloe chewed her lip for a moment before reaching into her backpack to pull out a notebook. She tore out some pages and started scribbling. "I'd been thinking of doing this if we had some spare time. Seems like the perfect opportunity. Here, make some copies."

Chloe handed him a long list containing items like '10 different kinds of rock', 'something that floats', 'piece of garbage', and 'something yellow'. While Clark was copying, Chloe rounded up the group and told them her idea: a scavenger hunt.

The idea was greeted with enthusiasm and Lois immediately charged off towards the camp, knowing many of the items could be found amongst their trip supplies. Jason and Lana were hot on her heels, but Karyn and Bitty lingered on the plateau before Lex upped the ante by offering a gift certificate to whoever won. He assured Bitty that he'd be safe out of her sight just this once, and ostentatiously started searching through a nearby rock fall for items on the list. Karyn and Bitty exchanged challenging looks, and then started scrambling downhill. They were soon out of sight.

Lex dropped the pebbles he'd collected and demanded, "Something I should know about?"

Clark sighed and explained about the symbols. He then begged Chloe to stay behind in case anyone in the group doubled back – he knew there was no point in asking Lex to do the same. Reluctantly, she agreed. They left as she started gathering up the pebbles Lex had dropped earlier, saying she'd make sure they had something to show for the scavenger hunt.

Lex and Clark made their way upstream and upwards for nearly half an hour. There was no path here, but the limestone provided plenty of small footholds. Clark would occasionally point out a symbol, invisible to Lex, that assured them they were on the right track. Strangely, Clark's vertigo had disappeared even as the ringing in his ears gradually intensified. Clark no longer needed the symbols to guide him: somewhere just ahead hid a Kryptonian artefact.

Clark was just taking another step up when the rock his hand was leaning on suddenly collapsed inwards. Clark lost his balance and tumbled forwards. When he righted himself, he could see a small recess in the cliff wall that had previously been hidden from sight by a thin layer of mud bricks, one of which he'd accidentally pushed aside. After exchanging looks with Lex, he started moving the rest of the bricks away from the cave entrance.

"I feel bad doing this," he whispered to Lex. "I mean, it's the Grand Canyon."

"If this was anything but what I think it is, I'd agree with you, absolutely. I'd be the first one to let the archaeologists have the place to themselves. But if the Kawatche Caves taught me anything, it's that _you can't not look_. Am I wrong?"

Clark sighed. "No, you're right. I have to check it out. God knows what would wind up happening if I tried to ignore it. One time, I think I wound up flying in my sleep."

Lex nodded jerkily, his eyes opening slightly as he digested the revelation. They continued to move the bricks in silence and made their way into the recess.

It was a small cave, something not uncommonly found in limestone rock. Beyond the entrance, they could stand comfortably but the light quickly faded. Lex reached out his hands to feel his way along the wall.

"Be careful," whispered Clark. His eyes were quickly adapting to the low light levels, and he could already make out several symbols much like the ones in the Kawatche Cave. A large one near Lex looked like the looped lines meaning water, but there were additional symbols jumbled all around it. Clark struggled to decipher the meaning.

Lex took another step forward. His hand moved, touching the large symbol. The walls gave a pulse of white. The ringing in Clark's ears intensified before it abruptly stopped.

Lex collapsed.

******

Lex felt he was falling, falling, falling headfirst into the depths. But instead of fear, he felt a rush of exhilaration. Something he'd yearned for all his life was just ahead. Knowledge. Answers.

Lex felt the wind whipping through his clothes as he continued to accelerate. It started to feel uncomfortable so Lex concentrated on slowing his fall until he finally stopped, hovering upside down in the void. That felt wrong so he spun himself around. It was dark so he turned up the light.

 _I must be dreaming_ , thought Lex.

 _No_ , responded a rich, cultured voice. _This is not a dream. It is… an interface program. That is the most accurate terminology I can find in your language._

Lex's hand reached up to touch the chest pocket he'd had sewn into all his shirts. In that pocket lay the crystal he'd 'liberated' from Genevieve Teague.

 _Yes_ , said the voice. _The crystal was designed for interactions such as these. And to allow humans to share some of the Kryptonian experience, or vice versa._

 _So you can walk a mile in my shoes_ , thought Lex.

 _The idiom is appropriate_ , agreed the voice.

 _Wait_ , wondered Lex. _Why is your voice British?_

 _Is that really the question you wish to ask_? The voice sounded almost amused. _I communicate directly with your mind. Your brain interprets this as sound, using your cultural expectations when providing the specific words and intonations._

_So you sound like Jean Luc Picard because I think of Star Trek when I think of advanced technology?_

_Correct_. The voice was now that of the woman, Majel Barrett, who had voiced the computer on the original Star Trek episodes.

 _Now you're just frakking with me_ , thought Lex.

 _Not possible_. Lex had the impression of laughter. _But the interface works best if your mind is relaxed. There is much for both of us to learn._

The void around Lex shifted, reforming itself into long corridors reminiscent of The Louvre. One door, labelled science, was shut, but another, labelled history, opened at his glance. Lex started forward, his footsteps echoing loudly.

The first picture showed a red sun glowing in the void of space. _Rao_ , whispered the voice. Astronomical data scrolled through his mind – type M, mass 0.49 Sol, surface temperature 3600 K, luminosity 3.5% Sol, radius…

Lex moved on to the next image, showing a planet circling closely around the sun. _Krypton_ , said the voice. More data: radius 3.4 times earth, gravity 10.6 times, temperature…

As Lex continued to walk down the corridor, the pictures showed the dawning of life and the gradual evolution of higher life forms. He turned down a different corridor and saw the birth of Kryptonian civilization and the rise of the great city states. Turning down another corridor, he saw the first steps of space exploration, and then the creation of immense generation ships to colonize the stars. Then the great break through: faster than light travel, leading to the creation of the First Kryptonian Empire. Then came the discovery of the effect of a yellow sun on Kryptonians, leading to civil war. Empires fell and rebuilt, only to fall again. Then the invention of the intergalactic portal, leading to an intense burst of exploration. Until finally, the discovery of Sol and its planetary system.

Lex stood a long time before the picture of Earth. From the Kryptonian point of view, it had been nothing special – just one life bearing planet among billions. But that all changed when they met the inhabitants.

 _We came in peace_ , said the voice. _But it did not stay peaceful for long._

The picture in front of Lex now started to shift into another, then another and then another, much like a high speed slideshow. First contact, nearly 4000 years ago, with ancient societies around the world. At first, the Kryptonians stayed aloof – confining themselves to cultural studies. Gradually though, interaction increased, at first to help with some local disaster or another, and then out of a growing respect and friendship. Attitudes started to shift. Some Kryptonians became despots, or found themselves worshipped by the locals. Then they started encountering resistance – beings who called themselves gods, other alien races, magic users…

 _Magic_ , wondered Lex. _How does that work?_

 _I have been contemplating that question for nearly four millennia,_ responded the voice _. I know less now than the day I started. It has rules but defies logic._

The pictures resumed, showing a growing number of devastating battles. Finally about 1500 years ago, the 'good' Kryptonians and their allies succeeded in sending the despots back to Krypton. Regretfully, they too abandoned Earth, fearing the temptation to abuse their power would continue to grow even for those who had so far refrained. But they left behind pieces of technology, some to monitor conditions, others to summon help if it was ever needed, and still others as a backup in case Krypton itself should fall.

 _Since then, contact was strictly limited_ , explained the voice. _Fewer and fewer came, until all communication with me ceased some 500 hundred years ago. What happened next, not even your_ foil _knows._

 _Foil?_ Lex wondered. _Is that what Clark is to me?_

 _It is a difficult concept to express in your language_ , replied the voice. _The two of you are linked by what you might call destiny, striving together to achieve the balance. The ancients made it this way._

 _Destiny?_ Lex felt a bitter taste in his mouth _. So the Kawatche were right? Clark's Naman, the saviour of his people, and I'm Sageeth? The enemy. I don't have a choice in the matter?_

 _The myth you refer to is just that, a myth,_ responded the voice _. It is a distortion of ancient prophecy, rendering a complex spectrum of possible futures as simple black and white._

Lex felt his mind flooding with images – scenes from the distant past, flowing into projections of the future; scenes of incredible heroism and others of inconceivable despair. And at the centre of it all, Clark.

 _Kal-El_ , corrected the voice. _Long ago, your seers foretold the return of our race to Earth, whether for good or more likely for ill. But your friend, Clark Kent –_ he _is something new, unexpected. A Kryptonian raised under the yellow sun, one who identifies himself as human – this changes everything. Your role is perhaps more crucial than ever._

_And I'm just some sort of… tool… for you and Clark to use?_

_You might as well say that Kal-El is a tool for_ us _to use._ The voice sounded chiding _. Both statements are equally true, which is to say they are almost wholly false. You are both free agents, equals yet opposite. Your strengths balance his weaknesses. He is idealistic, while you are more pragmatic – both viewpoints are needed._

Lex felt suddenly exhausted. The voice seemed so calm, so rational, so optimistic, so beguiling. But Lex felt that instead of accepting its presence so eagerly, he _should_ feel horrified by its presence in his mind. Just how deeply was the voice manipulating him? Could he trust anything it said?

 _Let yourself rest_ , said the voice. _Communication of this sort is taxing for the human body. There will be time for us later to resolve these matters._

Just as Lex was falling asleep, he saw one last image – a Kryptonian named Brol-Ez lying on a slab, a tangle of wires feeding from his brain into a machine. Lex realized that the Kryptonian was one of those who chose to leave Earth and the promise of virtual immortality, instead leaving behind an artificial intelligence that would monitor this portion of the world. Brol-Ez opened his eyes and seemed to stare across time into Lex's eyes. _We would have been friends_ , thought Lex.Brol-Ez smiled.

*******

**May 27, 2005 **

Clark slept fitfully in the small two-man tent, waking frequently to check up on Lex and then drowsily reflect on the events of that afternoon.

When Lex had collapsed, Clark had turned his body over and had seen one of the crystals glowing through the fabric of his shirt. X-ray vision had confirmed it was the crystal Lionel had used to swap bodies, and Clark had wondered out loud if it was safe to remove it. Imagine his surprise when a voice had answered.

The two had talked only briefly, enough to introduce themselves and for the voice, which invited Clark to call it Brol-Ez, to explain what was happening with Lex. Clark was apprehensive on his friend's behalf, but instinctively trusted this new entity far more than the one patterned after his own father. Brol-Ez had seemed dismayed when Clark relayed the message from Dr. Swann about the destruction of Krypton, but was far more perturbed when Clark explained some of his subsequent interactions with the ship and the Kawatche Caves. Brol-Ez asserted that the artificial intelligence based on Jor-El must be contaminated, pointing out the discrepancy between Jor-El sending his son to be raised by people like the Kents and the command to 'rule them with strength'.

Clark was comforted by this assertion, and happy to meet a part of his Kryptonian heritage that seemed actively concerned for the welfare of humanity. He was even happier to have an explanation of the legend of Naman and Sageeth – he realized now how much he'd let that story color his perceptions of Lex's actions in the last year. He also thought back to the paintings in China and wondered if that story had been misinterpreted as well. 

_I don't have to kill the dragons,_ he thought sleepily _. Maybe they hadn't even been fighting at all, but playing – happy at finding someone a little bit like them._ Call him romantic, but Clark liked the thought of the dragons surviving on some distant planet.

Next to him, Lex stirred slightly and then opened his eyes. Clark quickly gave him some water and warned him not to speak. "You were out for about 12 hours," he whispered. "But Brol-Ez said it would feel like days to you. Chloe and I covered, but I think Bitty is worried."

Lex nodded, before trying unsuccessfully to sit up. His hand moved frantically to his chest and relaxed when he touched the crystal still nestled in the pocket.

"Yeah," said Clark. "Still there. Brol-Ez said it would help 'improve the interface' if you kept it for a while. You okay with that?"

Lex nodded and closed his eyes, quickly returning to sleep. Clark watched him a while longer, wishing he too could find some repose. Finally he gave up. He donned his jacket and walked away from the campsite to stare up at the few stars that managed to peek out from behind the clouds. 

"Is that you, Clark?" Lana was walking towards him, carrying a small flashlight. "I can't sleep either. Something feels… strange."

Clark looked around – everything seemed normal. There were several campsites from different expeditions scattered all over the area, over a hundred people all told. But aside from the occasional snore or rustle from the surrounding brush, it was totally quiet. Clark gave Lana a shrug. "Looks good to me."

"Maybe it's just being in such a strange, wonderful place," said Lana softly. "Or maybe it's a guilty conscience." At Clark's inquiring look, she continued, "I used to give you such a hard time for all your secrets. I could never understand why you held on to them so closely, pushing all your friends away. But now I find myself doing it too."

"Because of Isobel."

Lana nodded. "And Gertrude and Jason… I love him and yet every day I find myself wondering if push comes to shove, which one of us he'll chose. And what Isobel will do if he chooses his mother instead of me."

Clark gave her a compassionate smile. "I wish I could help, Lana. But I'm not exactly the one people come to for relationship advice."

Lana gave a small laugh. "Too true. But you _are_ the one people come to when they're in over their head." She hesitated and then reached into a pocket, pulling out a handkerchief. "I've been holding on to this, hoping it would lead me to some answers. But now, it feels like I've just made myself into a target." She pulled back the edges of the handkerchief, revealing the crystal from China. She looked up at him beseechingly. "Can you keep it safe?"

Clark nodded, at a loss for words. Lana bit her lip and gave the crystal a long look. She then rewrapped it in the handkerchief and handed the bundle to Clark. 

Clark took it almost reluctantly, looking at her searchingly. He felt he owed her something but all he could come up with was a simple thank you. Apparently that was enough: Lana smiled at him softly and walked away.

Clark stood alone, staring down at the bundle and wondering at the turn of fate. Less than 24 hours ago, the location of the missing two stones had been a nagging question in the back of his mind. He'd received dire warnings of the consequences if they fell into the wrong hands, but no information on how to recover them. He'd spent nearly a year chasing after them, and now, when he least expected it, here they were. He wasn't all that shocked to discover that one had found its way into Lex's hands, though he had been surprised that Lex had brought it on the trip instead of keeping it in a high security vault. But learning that Lana had obtained the other stone, and had also seen fit to bring it with her, and then chose to hand it over… It smacked of destiny. 

And for once, that word didn't make him want to run away as fast as he could.

Clark evaluated his options and decided there was only one logical place to store the crystal. As quickly as possible given the poor footing, he made his way back up the canyon wall to the hidden cave. He had little to say to Brol-Ez, simply asking him to show him some images of Krypton. He was eager to know more, yet somewhat melancholy as well – seeing his home planet just underscored how alien he was, how truly alone. Brol-Ez seemed to understand his mood and simply opened a hidden panel to store the crystal. Clark lingered for a few minutes, and then bid a reluctant farewell.

In the dawning light, Clark made his way carefully back down to the floor of the canyon. The visibility was poor but high overhead, he could hear the rasping 'kack-kack-kack-kack' of a peregrine falcon. He switched to X-ray vision to watch it hunt. The falcon soared and circled, before suddenly folding back its wings to enter a dive. In a matter of seconds, it fell several hundred feet and reached out to snap the neck of a bat. With a triumphant cry, it spread its wings and soared back aloft.

Clark shook his head in admiration and resumed his descent. The sound of his feet seemed to grow louder with each step, particularly when he slipped and set off a cascade of pebbles. He stopped to regain his balance and savoured the early morning hush.

Then it hit him. It was _too_ quiet. Even this early in the day, most expeditions were already preparing breakfast and breaking camp, eager to take advantage of the cooler morning conditions. 

He should have known better than to ignore Lana's premonition. She did harbour a powerful witch after all.

Clark tried to see what was happening down at river level, still a few hundred feet below. There was a strange mist, difficult for even him to see through. He took a deep breath and almost gagged. _Gas_ , he thought with dread. He listened carefully and soon zeroed in on the sound of Chloe's heartbeat, then that of the rest of his friends. Slow, but steady – at least the gas seemed to be nonlethal. 

He could now also hear the sound of several people moving about in a methodical search pattern. As they came nearer, he could see they wore gas masks and were heavily armed – a military unit of some sort, attacking under cover of darkness. But why?

Then at the back of the formation, he spotted the distinctive shape of a woman. Focussing his vision, he quickly identified her as Genevieve Teague and silently cursed himself for underestimating the risk she posed. She had somehow slipped away from Lex's surveillance and assembled a strike force. He doubted it was a coincidence that she'd arrived so soon after Lex's crystal had been activated.

Although Genevieve's voice was muffled by a gas mask, Clark could hear her softly chanting in Latin. Misty green tendrils spread out from her along the floor of the canyon, reaching towards each of the campgrounds scattered around the area. Genevieve gave a cry of triumph and sent several of her soldiers towards the area where Clark's friends were sleeping.

Wanting to protect them, Clark started to move quickly but almost immediately lost his footing on the steep slope, sending off a small cascade of pebbles. One foot kept slipping downhill and despite every effort to regain his balance, Clark soon found himself tumbling down the cliff face amidst an ever growing rock slide. He finally reached the base of the cliff with a tremendous thud and continued rolling down towards the river, being pelted with rocks all the time. 

It smarted.

Clark finally stopped rolling and slowly opened his eyes to find himself surrounded by soldiers, guns pointed at him. Genevieve's expression was hidden by the gas mask but he could sense her gloating. 

"Clark Kent, I assume," she said. "My son has told me much about you. It seems he is rather easily impressed. I was expecting more than this _blundering_ entrance."

Clark spat out some of the dust he'd swallowed in his descent and struggled to get to his feet. Genevieve gave him an assessing look and ordered her soldiers to open fire.

Before Clark had time to react, a hail of bullets started pelting him from all directions. He imagined it was like being attacked by a swarm of bees. Each strike was little more than a jab, but the cumulative effect was enough to wear even him down. He swayed under the impact and fell to his knees, before struggling once again to rise.

Genevieve raised her hand and the shooting stopped. She stepped forward and brushed her hand down Clark's shirt, inspecting the bullet holes and the rapidly healing bruises underneath. "Impressive," she said caressingly, making Clark's skin crawl. "If I was less pressed for time, I would enjoy testing the limits of your strength. But I must act quickly, and cannot leave even such a tantalizing loose end behind."

Genevieve started speaking again in Latin, accompanied by dramatic arm gestures. Clark felt something brush against his neck, his arms, his legs – tendrils that started to tighten inexorably. He raised his hands to his throat, trying to break free but there was nothing there to fight. Clark started to gasp and then could no longer even do that. His lungs burned, his vision blurred.

Clark pitched forward and landed with a splash by the bank of the river. He gave one last twitch and then went still.

******

Lex awoke with a start and struggled to open his eyes but they seemed glued shut. His head pounded with what felt like the worst hangover of his life, and his mouth tasted like garbage. Worst of all, he seemed to have no control over his body, which went into spasms when he tried to sit up.

"Shhhh," a woman's voice whispered fiercely. "They're looking for us. Don't make a sound."

Lex went still and concentrated on breathing deeply. Slowly, the worst of the hangover sensation passed. Cautiously, he opened his eyes and tried to figure out what was going on.

It was just past dawn. A heavy mist lay across the ground, limiting the view of his surroundings to a few feet. He was in a small clearing surrounded by rocks and brush. Beside him lay Chloe and Bitty, who both looked to be in the same shape as him – barely conscious. Further away, Lex could just make out Lois, who was breathing hard as she dragged a body towards them. It was Karyn, out cold.

"What's going on?" whispered Chloe.

Lois shook her head, struggling to regain her breath. "No clue." She reached into her backpack and gulped down some water. "I woke up early and was, uh, going about my business when I heard a popping sound. And then I saw this mist and everything went blurry."

"Some sort of knockout gas," said Bitty, struggling to sit up. 

"Yeah. So when I came to, I tried heading back to camp. But I couldn't get very far without getting dizzy so I started bringing you all here. I couldn't find Clark though, and some guys with gas masks dragged Lana and Jason away."

Lex absorbed the news in silence. It added up to only one thing: Genevieve Teague was out for blood – Lana's blood. And it was mere luck that she hadn't captured him as well in the original attack. He would be the next target. Only his clenched hands betrayed his anger.

"We need a plan," he said. "We're easy targets here."

Lois nodded. "Yeah, but there's a problem. We're tied down – this is the only place we can breathe."

That made Lex wonder: just what was so special about this clearing? He looked around and his eye fell on an object tucked behind a particularly large bush – the LeoLet. They'd set it up last night in this clearing – close to camp and yet with a modicum of privacy. He struggled to get up to inspect it more closely but his muscles refused to co-operate. Grumpily, he asked Lois to bring it over and then had to laugh when she struggled to lift the entire apparatus. At her glare, he explained he just wanted the canister that was slotted into the back.

"You could have just said that," said Lois, handing the cylinder to him. It looked somewhat like a large water filter, molded plastic with openings at either end covered by a fine mesh lining.

"What are you thinking?" asked Chloe.

"The bacteria in here… the first thing they do is break down waste emissions."

"Odour eaters," said Lois.

"Literally. So…"

Lex's chemistry lesson was cut short by the sound of gunfire, not far away. Lex took a deep breath. "We're out of time. We need to find Clark and rescue Lana. Jason too I suppose."

"You have a plan?" asked Lois. "Or do we just go in guns blazing? 'Cause in case you didn't notice, they have all the guns right now."

"We don't even know how many of them there are," said Chloe.

"And we're going to have to stay close to each other," said Bitty. "Can't see more than 20 feet through that crap."

Lex evaluated his limited options. "Right. First thing, we head to the raft and pick up some spare canisters. We can't risk our air supply. Next, we get up close and scout them out. We can't see well but neither can they. We should have the advantage of surprise at least."

Lex looked down at Karyn, still unconscious though breathing now more regularly. "And we'll have to leave her behind. She should be safe enough here."

"Safer than us," said Lois cheerfully. At first glance, Lex might almost think she was having the time of her life. A closer look revealed her tension and resolve. Her father had trained her well for such situations.

She and Bitty led their advance, moving soundlessly with a predatory grace. They reached the supply raft and Lex broke out some of the spare canisters, which they each tied around their neck to keep their hands free. Then they had a hushed discussion about where to go next. Lois thought they should head where they could hear a helicopter coming in for a landing. She pointed out that the enemy forces would need to retreat soon, before the knockout gas dissipated. Chloe though insisted on heading further downstream, where the gunfire they'd heard earlier had come from. Lex could hear her unspoken thought that Clark was probably to be found there. He was reluctant to break up the group but recognized the necessity.

"Be careful, Chlo," said Lois. "You can't do anyone any good if you get hit by a stray bullet."

Chloe gave her a quick hug. "I'd tell you to keep your head down if I thought you'd listen. Luck!" She disappeared into the mist.

Lex and his group stole their way forward, stopping every few yards to listen carefully. Before long, they started to hear some faint voices. After some more cautious steps, the conversation became clearer.

"We couldn't find him, ma'am," said a muffled man's voice. "Only the primary targets were at the campsite."

"Fools," responded a distinctive woman's voice – Genevieve Teague. "Though I wouldn't blame the rest of the group for wanting to stay away from this… creature." There was the distinct sound of a kick, and then Genevieve continued, "I do not know what my son sees in her."

Lex crept forward slightly and could just make out Genevieve's figure through the mist, surrounded by guards. Two bodies were sprawled on the ground. Genevieve gave the smaller one another kick – the body twitched in response. Lex stepped backwards and warned his friends, "Be careful. Unless I mistake my guess, things are about to get crazy."

" _About_ to get crazy?" said Lois. "Unless I miss _my_ guess, we passed that point a long time ago."

Lex smiled. "Point. Regardless, I need to keep an eye on things here, but I'd also like to even the odds if the situation starts to deteriorate. Do you think you can disarm some of the guards?"

Bitty and Lois exchanged looks, sizing each other up. Then they nodded firmly and melted away into the mist.

Lex took a deep breath and crept forward until he could once again see Genevieve. She was giving Lana's prone body another kick.

"Did you think I wouldn't have my research division analyze the crystal's properties?" Genevieve asked. Kick. "Did you think I wouldn't notice when you used it yesterday?" Kick. "How big a fool do you think I am?"

Genevieve started to deliver yet another kick, when suddenly Lana's hand reached out to grab her leg. With a twist, the younger woman sent Genevieve crashing to the ground, and then stood with a mocking smile. The glowing purple eyes confirmed Lex's earlier fears: Isobel had been awakened.

"I think your folly has few limits," replied Isobel. "You proved this by deliberately wakening me, merely to steal something that I no longer have, that I no longer want or need. So let our ancient battle end here today." She made a gesture at the sky and commanded, " _Pluvia_!"

Lex felt a chill as the wind shifted and the air pressure dropped suddenly. Lightning flashed high above, followed quickly by the crash of thunder. More lightning strikes followed and more thunder, until the canyon seemed to shake with the fury of the storm.

Only a few raindrops fell in the valley itself. Lex realized with a sickening dread that Isobel must have been listening in on earlier discussions about flash floods: she had commanded the rain to fall in the plateau high above. Even now…

On the heights of the Kaibab Plateau, a vertical mile above where they were currently standing, the rain was falling in torrents. It immediately started running downhill, carrying anything in its path with it – soil, gravel, boulders, branches, tree stumps… The runoff pooled in Nankoweap Creek and quickly plummeted down towards the Grand Canyon. For a few minutes, the flow of water from the creek would be greater than that of the mighty Colorado itself. The force of the falling water was nearly unimaginable.

"Get away from the river!" he yelled. "Chloe, Lois, Bitty – run!"

He suited action to words and sprinted towards the canyon walls. The mist was rapidly being dissipated by the wind and he could now see Lois and Bitty also moving to safety. The guards though were frozen, looking to Genevieve for instructions. But she was locked in silent battle with Isobel.

As for Chloe, he finally spied her hundreds of yards away, kneeling at the edge of the river. He yelled a last despairing warning, but it was too late.

With a deafening roar, the leading edge of the floodwater roared into the Nankoweap delta. It swept across to the far canyon wall and sent a muddy wave dozens of feet into the air before falling back into the river. The Colorado foamed from the impact and spread out far from its normal banks. Everything in its path was swept away. 

Including Chloe.

*******

Clark had never lost consciousness. Genevieve's spell was like a noose around his neck and limbs, leaving him powerless to move, and he was floating face down at the edge of the river. He was cold, blind and nearly deaf, but his mind was still aware – still wondering how long he could survive without breathing. 

Five minutes passed, then ten and fifteen. Still he floated, unable even to panic. Perhaps that saved his life.

Then he felt a brush on his shoulder, a tugging at his arm, a faint voice pleading, "Clark, Clark. Wake up!"

Clark tried to respond but he felt drained of all energy, unable to twitch so much as a finger. The tugging at his arm continued, and he realized he was being dragged to shore. 

"God, you're heavy," said the voice with a grunt. Clark realized muzzily that it was Chloe, now trying to roll him over onto his back. She gave one last heave, and herself fell backwards into the river with a splash followed by a series of curses. 

Clark could feel Chloe's hand on his neck, feeling for a pulse and heard her sigh of relief when his heart beat sluggishly. But he still could neither move nor breathe. 

_Boom_.

A clap of thunder reverberated through the canyon, startling Clark with its intensity. Even the tendrils wrapped around his body seemed startled somehow, loosening their death grip. Clark drew a grateful breath. His eyes snapped open.

"Oh thank god," said Chloe. She was covered in mud from her fall in the river and her hair was sticking out at all angles – she had never looked so good to Clark. He tried to smile at her but was unable to summon the energy. 

The rumble of thunder continued and far away he could hear Lex shouting a warning. Chloe turned around and gave a gasp of horror. Clark tried to follow her gaze and saw a wall of water bearing down on them with incredible fury, moving far too fast for Chloe to outrun. With an adrenaline fired burst of energy, Clark pulled Chloe behind him and prepared for impact.

The leading edge hit with the force of a freight train, sweeping Clark and Chloe from one side of the river to the other in seconds, then hurling them towards the far canyon wall. Clark spun desperately to protect Chloe from the impact, and grunted with pain when a branch speared into his gut. For a few moments, they were pinned against a rock by the water that continued to pour down from the creek, before the turbulence started pushing them back to the centre of the river. Debris from the flash flood continued to crash into Clark. He felt a rib crack, then another. Cuts and bruises started to form on every part of his body. But still he kept Chloe safe.

How long it lasted, Clark never really knew for sure – it felt like an eternity. But finally, the current released them and they came to rest in an eddy. Clark could hear Chloe gasping for breath and smiled gently. He then closed his eyes, content to let go now that she was safe. 

"Oh no you don't!" Chloe shouted, giving him a shake. He heard her struggling to her feet, and once again felt her tugging on his arm to drag him onto shore. He wished he had the energy to admire her determination, but instead hovered on the edge of consciousness.

Chloe gently removed his jacket and examined him carefully, muttering aloud at the damage he'd suffered. She was particularly worried about the branch embedded in his abdomen, but finally decided to leave it alone. "Don't want to risk internal injuries," she explained, as if he was questioning her judgement. She did her best to wipe away the blood and ripped off his shirt to wrap some of the worst cuts. She then fell to waiting by his side.

Time passed and Clark floated in a haze of pain. Then he felt it – the faintest hint of the sun, poking its way over the canyon wall and down to the valley floor, moving ever closer until finally it touched the tip of one finger. Clark gasped – nothing had ever felt so good. He stretched sensuously towards the light and felt a rush of energy in response.

Chloe gave a crow of delight. "You're healing! Thank God!" She helped him shift the rest of the way out of the shade and beamed down at him. 

He tried to smile back, before reaching towards the branch in his gut. He tried to pull it free, but failed, still too weak. Chloe bit her lip and then closed her hands around his. Together, they pulled the branch free. Clark was finally able to breathe freely, and felt his strength slowly start to return.

Side by side, Chloe and Clark looked out over the river, watching the debris picked up by the flood continue to drift by: paddles, cooking gear, food supplies – anything that had not been firmly tied down the night before. They also saw the shattered remains of a raft that had been torn free of its mooring and then tossed about in the current. One of the pontoons had been torn off completely, while another was bent in the middle, no doubt from the impact with a rock. Chloe's hand tightened on Clark's at the reminder at how close to disaster they'd come.

Then Clark spotted the glint of first one metal spar and then another. He gradually realized it was the crumpled remains of a helicopter, floating in the current. Looking closer, he also spotted the body of one of the guards who'd attacked him. _Dead_ , he realized.

The sight snapped him out of his stupor and brought him to his feet. He still had a witch to deal with.

******

Lex watched the flood slowly recede, marveling at the damage done in just a few minutes. The formerly idyllic landscape was now littered with debris. Plants had been uprooted or covered with mud. The canyon walls had been scoured, and would undoubtedly be subject to landslides for days and weeks to come. 

Yet the damage could undeniably have been worse. The campsites had been far enough away from the river to avoid the initial devastating impact of the flash flood. The valley had quickly filled with water, and loose items had started drifting downstream but so far he'd seen no campers in distress. Lois and Bitty were now circulating through the campsites, helping still groggy people out of their soggy sleeping bags, offering up quick explanations and quickly moving on. 

The assault squad brought by Genevieve had not been so lucky. The ten men had scattered at the last possible instant, and all but one had been caught up by the edge of the flood's path rather than meeting it head on. That one guard though had been smashed into the side of the helicopter, which in turn had been repeatedly smashed into the side of the canyon. Lex didn't doubt that guard was dead.

Most of the other guards had dropped their weapons while floundering through the backwash of the flood, and the rest had been quickly disarmed by Bitty and Lois – the two made for an impressive assault squad of their own. Lex had just finished securing the prisoners and tending to the injuries they'd suffered in the flood. He was now able to turn his attention back to Genevieve and Isobel.

These two were still locked in a silent duel. They were connected by ribbons of light, coloured red and orange on Genevieve's side, blue and purple on Isobel's. The ribbons lashed forward and sideways, curving around and over, seeking for an opening in each other's defense. Where the ribbons touched ground, they set off fires, despite the sodden ground. On occasion, a ribbon would land on the ground in between the two women, striking the prone body of Jason, who writhed in agony. Neither woman noticed, too intent on their foe.

Lex tried to get close to the battle but had to jump back when one of the red ribbons struck him in the chest. It stung like a whip and immediately raised a welt. Lex took another step forward and was immediately struck by another ribbon, then another. He started to bleed and reluctantly retreated.

He started to yell at Genevieve, then Isobel, hoping to distract them for just an instant. He tried to appeal to their mutual love for Jason, asking them to at least let Jason go. But their concentration on each other was too deep.

 _Whoosh_. 

Lex blinked and Clark appeared at his slide. Clark was shirtless, his pants were torn, he was covered in mud, his hair was full of debris, and he seemed a little punch drunk – otherwise he looked perfectly normal.

"Took you long enough to get here," said Lex, hiding his relief.

"Chloe's fine – thanks for asking. And I've had a bad day."

"Well, it's going to get worse if we can't control those two. The flood was bad enough – this weird fire…"

Lex trailed off as Clark stepped towards the fire, trying to put it out. But Clark soon jumped back in pain. "That hurts!" he said.

"I guess that means you're not immune to witches," said Lex. "More's the pity."

"Hmmph," said Clark. "I hate magic."

"You and me both. I think our only chance is to distract them. Give you an opening."

Clark nodded. He picked up a small rock and heaved it at Genevieve's head. Immediately, one of the tendrils swept at it, sending it back towards them like a projectile. They barely managed to duck in time. Genevieve's concentration had not wavered for an instant.

"We have to get inside…" Clark broke off and started yelling at Jason. When Jason finally looked their way, Clark started to make gestures with his hands and feet. Lex smiled as he interpreted the football referee signals for unsportsmanlike conduct and tripping. Would Jason be able to follow through?

He could. Jason inched towards Genevieve and grabbed her leg. He then rolled away as fast as he could, sending Genevieve tumbling forward. For an instant, the red ribbons faltered.

Clark immediately ran forward and grabbed Genevieve. He was then engulfed in a halo of fire. He screamed in agony.

Lex made a connection and yelled, "Water! That must be her weakness." Isobel had used the flood as her first weapon, surely for a reason. 

Clark staggered towards the river and threw himself in, holding tightly to Genevieve all the while. All around, the fires started to flicker, before gradually dying out.

Lex turned to face Isobel, who wore a triumphant smile. She started to chant once more and raised her hands to cast another spell at Genevieve. Lex grabbed her arms and held her still.

"Lana, Isobel – both of you, listen to me. It's over. Genevieve is down for the count and I assure you she's not getting away."

"Don't make promises you cannot possibly keep, little man. This fight goes on to the death." Isobel struggled to free herself but had obviously been drained by the battle.

"And then it just passes on to the next generation, and the next and the next, until all of you and yours are dead and gone. Do you even know what you're fighting for?"

"It is our destiny. We are the balance between good and evil."

Lex smiled ruefully. "I know a story much like that– I've been living with it for years now. But I don't think there's only one way to fight that kind of battle. Genevieve is your enemy, true, but what about her son."

Isobel looked down at Jason and her eyes flickered. "He does not have the same taint as his mother. He chose wisely."

"For his sake, and Lana's, forsake your vengeance. Allow us to deal with Genevieve."

Isobel grimaced as she looked over at Clark, still holding Genevieve almost completely under water. Only Genevieve's mouth and nose broke the surface, allowing her to breathe. "Your friend is too gentle. He does not have the will to do what needs to be done. Genevieve should die for what she tried here."

"Perhaps. But that's not for me, or you, or Clark to decide. We all have to learn to trust the course of justice, flaws and all."

"Justice," spat Isobel. "She will be free in a month. And I will be needed again."

"So be it. But for now, think of your host. She has a right to her life. Please, Isobel, just let go."

There was a pause. Then Isobel shuddered and closed her eyes before slumping forward in Lex's arms. He laid her down by Jason's side and moved down to the river.

"How is she?" Lex asked, gesturing at Genevieve.

Clark shrugged wearily. "Unconscious. Lana?"

"Isobel let her go. Jason's looking after her."

Clark splashed his way to the shore and sat down on the bank with a sigh. "I haven't felt this bad since, well, ever. Makes me long for an old-fashioned meteor freak."

"I don't know what you're complaining about," said Lex, rubbing at the welt on his chest. "You haven't got a scratch on you."

Clark bristled indignantly. "I got caught in a landslide, strangled by a witch, nearly drowned, caught in a flash flood, speared by a branch…" He broke off his litany when he saw Lex grinning. 

"Good thing you heal fast then. Wouldn't want to lose my foil."

Clark smiled brilliantly and Lex felt his own smile widen in response. It was good to have friends.

********


	7. Epilogue and Author's Note

# 

#  Epilogue

**May 31, 2005**

"Now you speak!" said Lex aloud.

 _The data available to me,_ said the voice of Brol-Ez _, suggested that your opponents somehow 'fed' off the energy of our interface. Thus I remained silent until I was certain all danger had passed_. The voice sounded contrite.

 _So Isobel allowed Lana to give Clark the other crystal because she got all the power she needed from you?_ Lex thought about Isobel's sudden ability to conjure storms when her earlier spells had been far more limited in scope, not to mention Genevieve's unexpected fire starting abilities.

 _That is the conclusion I reached. You and your foil did well in combatting the two, despite their unforeseen powers._

Lex smiled, silently agreeing. He exchanged a few more comments with Brol-Ez, promising to return with Clark in a few weeks for further discussion. But for now, he wanted to get back to enjoying the trip. 

They were at Mile 98, almost half way through the Grand Canyon. They were also two days behind the original schedule, thanks to helping with both the clean-up from the flood and the subsequent police investigation. 

To say their account had been met with skepticism was an understatement, and Lex feared Genevieve might get away with little more than a wrist slap for violating restricted air space. Her story – that she'd intercepted a terrorist threat directed at Lex Luthor and had gone to get her son out of harm's way –was far more palatable than the limited amount of truth Lex had felt capable of sharing. The justice system just wasn't prepared to handle time travelling witches and super powered aliens – improving the process would require a lifetime of work. Lex was eager to start.

But not yet. Lex brought his attention back to the task before him: Crystal Rapid.

Crystal had been formed in 1966 in a flash flood and for a long time had been considered just barely navigable. Time had brunted some of its fury, but even now it was considered one of the two wildest rides in the Grand Canyon. It started with two 'must miss' holes on the centre right, and ended with an enormous rock garden that could easily punch a hole in a boat or leave one stranded. There was a safe path through by hugging the shore on the right, but the river was so narrow that there was little margin for error.

Lex took a deep breath as the he reached the first waves. The current was immensely strong and was trying to sweep him towards the first hole – he had to paddle hard to maintain his line. He also had to work hard to maintain his balance given the waves rushing at him from all angles. Somewhat ruefully, he remembered his disappointment when he'd scouted the rapid with the rest of the group. He'd read a lot about Crystal, and it had all looked so much tamer at first glance than he'd expected. Which only proved how misleading initial impressions could be.

Lex finally cleared the first hole and relaxed for a few seconds before the current once again tried to sweep him off path, this time into the second hole. Back stroke, hard back, high brace, sweep stroke, forward stroke, low brace, back stroke, hard back, bow draw, forward stroke… and suddenly Lex was past the worst of it. In response to the cheers from a group scouting on the shore, he raised his paddle and  gave a whoop in celebration. 

For the next minute, the rapid was relatively quiet. Lex took the opportunity to rest a bit, and then started to play with the waves. He started with some small turns, and then gradually deepened his edges until he went into a flat spin. He pulled out and then tried a cartwheel, but his timing was slightly off. He found himself upside down in the water and had to quickly align himself for the roll back to the surface. 

He had only a few more seconds to catch his breath until reaching the final section of Crystal, the wave train to the side of the rock garden. His line was good so he was able to stay well clear of the boulders on his left, and instead simply enjoyed the roller coaster-like ride. It seemed to last forever. It was over all too soon.

With another whoop of triumph, Lex pulled into the eddy beside Karyn and Clark. They exchanged grins and Karyn handed him a plastic cup filled with bubbly water. "ABC!" she toasted.

"ABC!" responded Clark and Lex. The acronym stood for 'Alive Below Crystal', a time-honoured reason to celebrate. Lex tossed back the water with relish.

"That was intense!" said Clark. "That first hole really wanted to get a hold of me." He and Lex took turns describing their journey through the rapid.

"Speaking of Crystal," said Clark, sobering slightly, "what do you think we should do about it?" 

Lex touched his shirt pocket, in which the water crystal rested, and smiled. "Keep it secret. Keep it safe," he replied.

"Geek," said Clark, smiling at the Lord of the Rings reference. "Does Brol-Ez agree?"

Lex's eyes went unfocused for a moment as he communed with the interface. "Pretty much. Apparently, the crystals can be combined to create a Kryponian archive, but doing that would actually drain you of your powers for a few months – apparently that's one of those checks and balances the ancients designed. And Brol-Ez is still concerned that the Jor-El simulation has been contaminated. So…"

"So you're both going to think about it some more," concluded Clark.

"At least sometimes, discretion _is_ the better part of valour."

"Not in my playbook," replied Clark with a grin.

"I know," said Lex. "And that's why you need me."

******

Genevieve stood before the small mirror in her prison cell. It was a nice cell, filled with sunlight and an entertainment centre and a fairly comfortable bed. But it was still prison, keeping her from where she needed to be.

She'd spent the last ten hours being interrogated by agents from the Department of Domestic Security. Unlike the first set of policemen she'd talked to, these agents had been deeply suspicious of her story. Too many people had seen her battling with Isobel, and seen the fires go out as soon as she was thrown in to the river. So she was being blamed for it all, while Lana got off scot free. The worst part was that she could not even implicate that scheming hussy without further incriminating herself.

She didn't doubt that she would be freed eventually – proving a charge of witchcraft under a modern judicial system would be well-nigh impossible. But the DDS could keep her locked up for years on a series of lesser charges if they put their mind to it. And she didn't have the time to spare, not when she was so close.

She remembered the power she'd started absorbing as soon as she'd arrived in the Grand Canyon. It had been intoxicating, and she could finally understand in a visceral way why her ancestors had been seeking the crystals for generations. Before, the hunt had been almost a game – now, it was more important than anything else in her existence.

Certainly more important than her snivelling son. Jason had chosen his side, and it had not been hers. Now, he was worse than dead to her.

She raised a scrap of a shirt that her lawyer had brought in at her request. Jason had been wearing the shirt on the day that a brutal tackle had destroyed his knee and a possible football career. A heady aura of pain, fear, anger and despair clung to the shirt – excellent emotions to conjure with. She started speaking in Latin while she lit some heavily scented candles. She raised the scrap to the wick and smiled as it caught fire. 

She looked up into the mirror. A younger woman, similar in appearance but garbed in an elaborate robe, gazed back. Genevieve recognized her as Gertrude, her ancestor from the time when Isobel had been burned as a witch. "We have a common enemy," said Genevieve. "We have a common goal. Can you help?"

Gertrude nodded and twisted her lips in a feral smile. "I know how to get it back."

******

# 

#  Author's Note

This story was inspired by visits this summer to the Grand Canyon (a follow up to a trip from a few years ago where I hiked down to Havasu Falls), and another to the Ottawa River for white water rafting. I thoroughly recommend both experiences. 

I've long dreamed of riding the rapids through the Grand Canyon, and the research I did for this story only deepened that desire. I decided to deepen the experience for the characters of this story by having them use kayaks, which bring you much closer to the action and provide less room for error (and thus more room for dramatic license). 

The risks I've described – kayaks rolling, rafts flipping, creeks flash flooding – are all very real. Crystal Rapid formed in a flash flood similar to the one I've described. For an excellent account of river trips through the Colorado and the attendant risks, I highly recommend _The Emerald Mile: The Epic Story of the Fastest Ride in History Through the Heart of the Grand Canyon_ , by Kevin Fedarko.

References:

  

  * [For general rafting information](https://rrfw.org/RaftingGrandCanyon/The_Trip)
  

  * [For how to row the rapids](https://rrfw.org/sites/default/files/documents/How%20To%20Row%20The%20Grand%20Canyon%20Rapids%207-2013.pdf)
  

  * [For geological formations](http://www.kaibab.org/kaibab.org/geology/gc_layer.htm)
  

  * [For everything else: Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page)!
  




End file.
